We all know that death is usually defined as the cessation of activities of a living organism, or the permanent cessation of all living activities of an organism.
After death, our body will have to go through a period of decomposition. So how will the decomposition of the body in water take place?
Usually when buried in the ground, after 5-10 days, the decomposition process will begin to take place. At this time, microorganisms and bacteria in the body begin to “party” , attack soft tissues, and then after hair and nails fall out, bacteria and insects will continue to dig into the skin. body, until only the skeleton remains. This process can take years.
But when the body is exposed, it is different. Bacteria and countless insects such as maggots and bugs will attack soft tissues. Depending on weather conditions, it’s not surprising that you can find up to 250,000 maggots on an exposed corpse. Carcass-eating animals such as wild dogs, vultures, etc. also contribute to accelerating the decomposition process. And finally the body will become boneless after only 2 weeks at most.
What about the body placed in the water? Due to the absence of insects and maggots, this process is slower than that of an exposed body, but an underwater corpse also has a very fast rate of decomposition.
When starting to be visited by Death, the heart will stop beating, the body will now relax. After a few minutes, the body will become cold (algor mortis) due to lack of blood circulation and also because the temperature in the water is lower than normal.
When first falling into the water, the body will sink quickly due to the presence of water in the lungs and stomach. After 30 minutes to 1 hour, the skin on the palms of the hands and feet begins to turn white because of the water. Corpse stains (which are pale purple-red patches that appear on the skin and internal organs after the body dies) appear quickly and spread.
A drowning person will have foam in the nasal cavity and mouth, called foam fungus , which occurs only when breathing in water (if the victim was dead before falling into the water, this phenomenon will not occur).
After 30 minutes – 1 hour, the skin on the palms of the hands and feet begins to turn white because of water immersion
After 15 to 24 hours, the corpse begins to rot. At this time, bacteria in the body begin to digest themselves, producing gas that causes the body to swell and float. Due to being soaked in water for too long, the dead person’s skin becomes pale, wrinkled, white, loses its elasticity and gradually peels off. In addition, when emerging, exposed to air and light, exposed body areas turn blue or dark brown.
From the next 24 – 48 hours, the epidermis on the body begins to separate. On the palms of the hands and feet , “glove stripping” and “sock stripping” appear (an autopsy term, referring to complete skinning in these two areas).
During the next 5 – 15 days is the most “scary” period. At this time, the body hair and nails have fallen, and the scalp and flesh are completely peeled off, leaving the skull intact. The internal organs rot and decompose gradually.
However, if the water environment has a relatively low temperature (below 21 degrees Celsius), the body will form a layer of “cadaver fat wax” – adipocere (a compound formed from fat by bacteria that destroy tissues). formed), acts as a natural preservative.
But during this time, the body is like a banquet table for small aquatic species such as crabs and fish – they can come and eat the soft tissues of the face (eyes, lips …). In addition, larger fish species may appear, accelerating the decomposition of the carcass, leaving only the skeleton in the end.
Normally, the process of ossification of an underwater body lasts from 1 to 2 months, but it can also be earlier. In 2002, a study was carried out at the border of Portugal and Spain to find out about 9 corpses drifting hundreds of kilometers.
After 20 days, only 2 corpses were found and were in a terrible state of decomposition, identifiable only by DNA technology. And in 2008, another study at warmer water temperatures, 2 bodies were found after 34 days of drifting with ossification of many parts of the body, and a drifting body after 3 months was completely ossified. .