ANTHROP 3FA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Bloating, Taphonomy, Cadaverine

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTHROP 3FA3
• Professor: Tracy Prowse

Document Summary

Feb 11 4-6/mar 6 4:30-6:30/19 4-6/april 1 4-6. What happens to a body between death and discovery. Changes that occur to the body after death: from fresh to skeletonized. Postmortem (pm) - changes to body after death. Antimortem (am) - before death: could refer to something ten years ago, could refer to something a day or two before death. Perimortem - at or around the time of death: there is not specific time frame, could be either right before or right after death. Breakdown and destruction of organic tissue (~4 min. after death) Autolysis degeneration of body tissues by digestive fluids from inside our stomachs: the fluid is released into the rest of our body - internal. Putrefaction bacteria reproduce and start to break down tissues, muscles, etc: bacteria, internal and external start to feed on our bodies. Early stage after death: 3 stages: algor mortis body cooling. Immersion in water: normally cools down the body.