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LEGAL MEDICINE
1.1C IDENTIFICATION & MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS OF DEATH
IDENFICATION OF A DEAD PERSON IS IMPORTANT IN THE:
1. Prosecution of criminal offense
2. Facilitation of settlement of estate
3. Retirement
4. Insurance and other social benefits
5. Resolving anxiety of relatives and friends.

RULES OF IDENTIFICATION
1. The greater the number of points of similarities and dissimilarities of
two persons compared, the greater is the probability for the conclusion to
be the correct. the Law of Multiplicity of Evidence in identification.
2. The value of the different points of identification varies in the
formulation of conclusion.
Positive: fingerprints on file is the same with the dead body.
Corroborative: body marks (moles, scars, complexion, shape of
nose, etc.)
Fingerprints and Dental Records have greater value compared
with Visual recognition by relatives and friends
3. The longer the interval between death and the examination of the dead
body for identification, the greater is the need for experts in establishing
the identity.

It is necessary to act in the shortest possible time specially in

cases of mass disaster.
METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION
1. By comparison:
Identification criteria recovered during investigation are compared
with records available in the file.
Post-mortem findings are compared with ante-mortem records.
2. By exclusion:
If two or more persons have to be identified and all but one is not
yet identified, then the one whose identity has not been
established may be known by elimination
METHODS OF APPROXIMATING THE HEIGHT OF A PERSON
A. Measure the distance between the tips of the middle finger of both
hands with the arms extended laterally = height.
B. 2 x length of one arm + 12 inches from the clavicle and 1.5 inches
from the sternum = height.
C. 2 x length from the vertex of the skull to the pubic symphysis = height.
D. Distance between the supra-sternal notch and the pubic symphysis =
1/3 height.
E. Distance from the base of the skull to the coccyx = 44% of height
F. The length of the forearm measured from the tip of olecranon process
to the tip of the middle finger = 5/19 of height.
G. 8 x length of the head = height
INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE BERTILLON SYSTEM
1. Descriptive data: color of the hair, eyes and complexion, shape of the
nose, ear, etc.
2. Body marks moles, scars, tattoo marks, deformities, etc
3. Anthropometrical measurements:
a. Body Measurements
b. Measurement of the head
c. Measurement of the limbs
EXTRINSIC FACTORS IN IDENTIFICATION OF DEAD BODY
1. Ornamentations rings, bracelet, necklace, hairpin, earrings, lapel pin,
etc.

2. Personal belongings letters, wallet, drivers license, residence

certificate, personal cards, etc.
3. Wearing apparel tailor marks, laundry mark, printed name of owner,
size, style, and texture, footwear, socks
4. Foreign bodies dust in clothings, cerumen in the ears, nail
scrappings may show occupation, place of residence or work, habit, etc.
5. Identification by close friends and relatives.
6. Identification record on file at the police department, immigration
bureau, hospitals, etc.
7. Identification photograph.
SCIENTIFIC METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION OF A DEAD BODY
A. DNA TESTING
B. Fingerprinting
C. Dental Identification
D. Handwriting
E. Identification of Skeleton
F. Determination of Sex
G. Determination of Age
H. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
I. Identification of Hair and Fibers

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2.
3.
4.

FINGERPRINTING
Universally used because:
There are no identical fingerprints.
The chances of two fingerprints being the same are
calculated to be 1:64 billion.
Fingerprints are not changeable.
Fingerprints are formed in the fetus in the 4th month of
pregnancy.
Fingerprints are an indelible signature which a person
carries from the cradle to the grave
PRACTICAL USES OF FINGERPRINTS
Help establish identity in cases of dead bodies and unknown or
missing persons.
Prints recovered from the crime scene associate person or
weapon.
Prints on file are useful for comparative purposes and for the
knowledge of previous criminal records.
Among illiterates, right thumbprint is recognized as a substitute
for signature on legal documents.

ADVANTAGES OF USING FINGERPRINTS AS A MEANS OF

IDENTIFICATION
1. Not much training is necessary for a person to take, classify
and compare fingerprints.
2. No expensive instrument is required in the operation.
3. The fingerprint itself is easy to classify.
4. Actual prints for comparative purposes are always available
and suspected errors can easily be checked.

DENTAL IDENTIFICATION
The role of the teeth in human identification is important for the following
reasons:
1. The possibility of two persons to have the same dentition is
quite remote.
2. The enamel of the teeth is the hardest substance of the human
body.

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1.1C IDENTIFICATION & MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS OF DEATH

The more recent the ante-mortem records of the person to be

identified, the more reliable is the comparative or exclusionary
mode of identification that can be done.
HANDWRITING
A person may be identified through his handwriting, hand
printing and hand numbering.
Proven by:
Statement of witness who saw the writing made and is able to
identify it as such.
Opinion of persons who are familiar with the handwriting of the
alleged writer
Opinion of an expert who compares the questioned writing with
that of the other writings which are admitted or treated to be
genuine by the party against whom the evidence is offered.

IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON
The following can be determined in the examination of bones:
1. Whether the remains are of human origin or not.
2. Whether the remains belong to a single person or not.
3. Height
4. Sex

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A MALE AND A FEMALE PELVIS

MALE
FEMALE
Heavier construction wall more
Lighter construction wall less
pronounced
pronounced
Height greater and flays off its
Height lesser and flays off its
wall more pronounced
wall less pronounced
Pubic arch narrow and less
Pubic arc wider and rounder
round
Diameter of the true pelvis
Diameter of the true pelvis less
greater
Curve of then iliac crest reaches
Curve of the iliac crest is of the
a higher level
lower level
Narrow greater sciatic notch
Wide greater sciatic notch
Body of the pubis narrow
Body of the pubis wider
Iliopectineal line sharp
Iliopectineal line rounded
Obturator foramen triangular
Obturator foramen egg-shaped
Sacrum long and wide
Sacrum shorter and narrow
Less curve of shaft
More curve of shaft
Mastoid process larger
Predominance of cranial roof
over cranial base.
Mastoid
process smaller
Cranium placed horizontally
Cranium placed horizontally
rests on mastoid process
rests on the occipital and
maxillary bone
Forehead higher and more
Forehead less high and more
oblique
vertical
Superciliary ridges less sharp or
Superciliary ridges sharper
more rounded
Styloid process shorter
Styloid process longer and
Zygomatic arches and frontal
slender
sinuses more prominent
Zygomatic arches and frontal
Lower jaw larger and wider
sinuses less prominent
Face larger in proportion to the
Lower jaw narrower and lighter
cranium
and chin not projecting
Lower jaw narrower and lighter
and chin not projecting

IDENTIFICATION OF HAIR & FIBERS

How the Hair and Fiber Changes Color:
1. Addition of a substance that will coat the outer surface of the
hair so as to impart a different color.
Ex. Salts of bismuth, lead, silver and pyrogallic acid
1. Addition of substance which bleach or change the natural color
of the fiber or hair.
Ex. Hydrogen proxide, chlorine and diluted nitric acid
THE VEGETABLE & ANIMAL FIBERS MAY BE DIFFERENTIATED AS
FOLLOWS
1.Ignition Test:
a. Animal fibers Burn and fuse; smell of burnt hair,
fused and globular; fume
turns red litmus to blue
b. Vegetable fibers Rapid combustion, end charred
and break sharply; smell of burning wood; vapor
turns blue litmus to red
2. Chemical Tests: NITRIC ACID
a. Animal fibers turns yellow
b. Vegetable fibers No change in color
POINTS OF IDENTIFICATION TO THE DEAD PERSON
1. Tattoo marks
May help in the identification of the person.
Inscribed name, date of birth, language, religion, name of
spouse, etc.
May indicate memorable events in life.
May indicate the social stratum to which the person belongs.
Generally, tattoing is practiced by members of the lower
economic class
Implies previous commitment in prison or membership in a
criminal gang.
MEDICO-LEGAL ASPECTS OF DEATH
IMPORTANCE OF DEATH DETERMINATION
1. The civil personality of a natural person is extinguished by death.
2. The property of a person is transmitted to his heris at the time of death.
3. The death of a partner is one cause of dissolution of partnership
agreement.
4. The criminal liability of a person is extinguished by death.
5. The case for claims .
BRAIN DEATH
No universally accepted criteria yet to establish a condition of
brain death.

Harvard report criteria/Philadelphia protocol:

1. Unaccepatability and unresponsibility
2. No movements or breathing
3. No reflexes/responses
4. Flat electro-encephalogram
5. Falling arterial pressure

KINDS OF DEATH
1. Somatic/Clinical Death- complete,persistent and continuous cessation
of the vital functions of the organ systems.
2. Molecular/cellular death
3. Apparent death/State of suspended Animation- not really death but
merely a transient loss of consciousness or temporary cessation of the
vital functions of the body .

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LEGAL MED

1.1C IDENTIFICATION & MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS OF DEATH

SIGNS OF DEATH
1. Cessation of heart action and circulation.
- There must be an entire and continuous cessation of the heart action
and flow of blood in the whole vascular system.
2. Cessation of respiration.
- Continuous and persistent
- Normally can hold breath for a period not longer than 3 1/2 minutes.
3. Cooling of the body ( Algor Mortis )
- Metabolic process ceases and no more heat is produced.
4. Insensibility of the body loss and loss of power to move.
5. Changes in the skin.
- Loss of elasticity of the skin.
- Opacity of the skin.
- Effect of application of heat
6. Changes in and about the eye.
- Loss of corneal reflexes
- Clouding of the cornea
- Flaccidity of the eyeball
- The pupil is in the position to rest
CHANGES IN THE BODY FF DEATH
1. Changes in the Muscle:
a. Stage of primary flaccidity : (post-mortem muscular irritability ).
b. Stage of post-mortem rigidity ( Cadaveric Spasm and Rigor Mortis )
c. Stage of secondary flaccidity or commencement of putrefation

- Principally due to the fact that the last voluntary contraction of muscle
during life does not stop after death but is continuous with the act of
cadaveric rigidity.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN MUSCULAR CONTRACTION VS RIGOR
MORTIS
DISTINCTION
MUSCULAR
RIGOR MORTIS
CONTRACTION
Time of appearance
3-6 hours after death
Immediately after
death
Muscles Involved
All muscles
Certain muscles
Occurrence
Natural phenomenon
May or may not
appear on the person
Significance
Approximate the time
Determine the nature
of death
of the crime
Contracted muscle
transparent or
Losses translucency
translucent
and becomes opaque
Elasticity

very

Lost

Reaction to litmus

Neutral or slight
alkaline

Acid

Muscle remaining

(+)

(-)

A. STAGE OF PRIMARY FLACCIDITY

Immediately after death, there is complete relaxation and
softening of all the muscles of the body.
The muscle are still contractile and react to external stimuli,
mechanical or electric owing to the presence of molecular life
after somatic death.
Stage occurs 3-6 hours after death ( in warm places, about
1hour and fifty minutes ).

C. STAGE OF SECONDARY FLACCIDITY OR RELAXATION

- After the disappearance of rigor mortis, the muscle becomes soft and
flaccid.
- Does not respond to any stimulus
Due to dissolution of the muscle proteins which have previously
been coagulated during the period of rigor mortis.
This body while at the stage of rigor mortis, if stretched or
flexed to become soft, will no longer be rigid.

B. STAGE OF POST MORTEM RIGIDITY

3-6 hours after death, the muscle gradually stiffen
Usually starts a the muscles pf the neck and lower jaw and
spreads downwards to the chest, arms and lower limbs.
Whole body becomes stiff after 12 hours.
Chemically, there is increase lactic acid and phosphoric
content of the muscle.
Maybe utilized to approximate the length of time the body has
been dead.

CHANGES IN THE BLOOD

- Stasis of the blood due to the cessation of circulation enhances the
coagulation of blood inside the blood vessels.
- Blood clotting is accelerated in cases of death by infectious fevers and
delayed in cases of asphyxia, poisoning by opium, hydrocyanic acid and
carbon monoxide

CONDITIONS STIMULATING RIGOR MORTIS

1. Heat Stiffening:
- if the dead body is exposed to temperatures above 75 C it will
coagulate the muscle proteins and cause the muscles to be rigid.
- stiffening is more or less permanent and may not easily affected by
putrefaction.
2. Cold Stiffening:
- may be manifested when the frozen , but exposure to warm condition
will make such stiffening disappear.
- it due to solidification of fat when the body is exposed to freezing
temperature.
CADAVERIC SPASM / INSTANTANEOUS RIGOR
- Rigidity of muscles which occurs at the moment of death due to
extreme nervous tension, exhaustion and injury to the nervous system or
injury to the chest.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POST-MORTEM LIVIDITY

1. It occurs in the most extensive areas of the most dependent
poritons of the body.
2. It only involves the superficial layer of the skin.
3. It does not appear elevated from the rest of the skin.
4. The color is uniform but the color may become greenish at the
start of decomposition.
5. There is no injury to the skin.
KINDS OF POST-MORTEM LIVIDITY
1. Hypostatic Lividity:
- Blood merely gravitates into the most dependent portions of the body
but still inside the blood vessels and still fluid in form.
- Occurs during early stage
2. Diffusion Lividity:
- Appears when the blood has coagulated inside the blood vessels or
has diffused into the tissues of the body.
- Occurs during late stage.

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1.1C IDENTIFICATION & MEDICOLEGAL ASPECTS OF DEATH

SIGNIFICANCE OF POST-MORTEM LIVIDITY

It is one of the signs of death.
IT may determine whether the position of the body has been
changes after its appearance in the body.
The color of lividity may indicate the cause of death.
It may be determine how long the person has been dead.
IT gives us an idea as to the time of death.

END OF TRANX

AUTOLYTIC / AUTODIGESTIVE CHANGES AFTER DEATH

After death, proteolytic,glycolytic and lipolytic ferments of
glandular tissues continue to act which lead to the
autodigestion of organs.
Action is facilitation by weak acid and higher temperature.
It is delayed by alkaline reaction of the tissues of body and low
temperature.
-

PUTREFACTION
- Is the breaking down of the complex proteins into complex
components associated with the evolution of foul smelling gasses and
accompanied by the change of color of the body.
INFLUENCE OF BACTERIA IN DECOMPOSITION
- Decomposition is due to action of bacteria in various tissues of the
body.
Early period, aerobes present, late period both aerobes and
anaerobes.
Organism that play a dominant role in decomposition is
Clostridium.
OTHER DESTRUCTIVE AGENTS DURING DECOMPOSITION
1. Maggots:
- Dependent on the accessibility of the body to adult flies.
- Have strong desire to live in damaged skin surface.
- Also observe in bodies buried in shallow graves and even in floating
decomposed bodies in water pools.
2. Reptiles:
- Lizards and snakes that are attached to dead bodies eats soft tissues.
- Small bones may be fractured in the process and may be mistaken for
injuries.
3. Rodents:
- Rats and mice will nibble the skin and other tissues and may show
unexplainable injuries.
- Bones may also be attacked and cause certain degree of erosion.
4. Molds:
- Growth cause disfigurement and minor superficial erosions of the skin.

1.
2.

3.

SPECIAL MODIFICATION OF PUTREFACTION

Mummification- dehydration of the whole body which results in
the shivering and preservation of the body.
Saponification /Adipocere formation fatty tissues of the body
are transfromed to soft brownish-white substance which is a
waxy mateiral,rancid or moldy in odor.
Maceration- softening of the tissues when in a fluid medium in
the absence of putrefactive microorganism which is frequently
observed in the death of the fetus in utero.

CAUSES OF DEATH
A. Natural death --- caused by natural disease condition.
B. Violent or sudden Death ---- termination of life which causes quickly
under circumstances when its arrival is not expected.
C. Judicial Death

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