Search results
- Stage 1 Fresh (1-2 days) This stage begins almost instantly from the moment of death. As the heart stops beating, the body’s cells gets deprived of oxygen and pH changes occurs.
- Stage 2 Bloated (2-6 days) This stage of decomposition includes the first visible signs of decay, namely the inflation of the abdomen due to a build-up of various gases produced by bacteria inside the body.
- Stage 3 Decay (5-11 days) The previously inflated carcass now deflates and internal gases are released. As the tissues break down the corpse will appear wet and strong odours are very noticeable.
- Stage 4 Post-Decay (10-24 days) By the time this stage is reached, decomposition slows, as most of the flesh has been stripped from the skeleton, though some may remain in denser areas such as the abdomen.
Aug 19, 2024 · It's normal to wonder what will happen when you die. From a physical standpoint, death is when the body's vital functions stop, including breathing (respiration), heartbeat, and brain activity. The dying process can happen gradually or it can occur very quickly.
- Chris Raymond
- 2 min
After death, the body breaks down into simpler organic matter through biological and chemical processes. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, depending on a number of factors. Chemical reactions involved in the decay process will speed up as the temperature increases.
- Overview
- What happens in decomposition?
- The stages of decomposition
- Why learn all of this?
When someone dies, it may be the end of their journey through this world, but this is not the case with their body. Instead, it will begin the long process of shedding its components. So, what happens when bodies decompose, and why should we learn about it?
For the majority of us, contact with the bodies of people who have passed away begins and ends with the sad occasion of a funeral.
And even then, what we usually get is either an urn with the person’s cremated remains, or a body laid out neatly in a casket, having been carefully prepared for the occasion by a funeral home.
What happens to bodies naturally, after they have had their grand encounter with death? What if they don’t get cremated or choose to become embalmed, so as to delay the process of decomposition and keep them “fit” for viewing for longer?
Under natural conditions — for example, if the body is left out in a natural environment, or placed in a shallow grave — a lifeless body begins to slowly disintegrate, until only the bones are left for future archeologists to dig up.
In this Spotlight, we describe the process of decomposition and explain why it can be useful to understand what happens to the body after death.
Although many of us may think of decomposition as synonymous with putrefaction, it is not. In fact, the decomposition of a human body is a longer process with many stages, of which putrefaction is only one part.
Decomposition is a phenomenon through which the complex organic components of a previously living organism gradually separate into ever simpler elements.
In the words of forensic scientist M. Lee Goff, it is “a continuous process, beginning at the point of death and ending when the body has been reduced to a skeleton.”
There are several signs that a body has begun its process of decomposition, Goff explains. Perhaps the three best-known ones, which are often cited in crime dramas, are livor mortis, rigor mortis, and algor mortis.
Goff also notes that different scientists split the process of decomposition into different numbers of stages, but he advises considering five distinct stages.
The first one, the fresh stage, refers to the body right after death, when few signs of decomposition are visible. Some processes that may begin at this point include greenish discoloration, livor mortis, and tache noire.
Some insects — typically flies — may also arrive at this stage, to lay the eggs from which larvae will later hatch, which will contribute to stripping the skeleton of the surrounding soft tissue.
“As revolting as they may seem, flies and their larvae — maggots — are created perfectly for the job they need to do and many experts call them ‘the unseen undertakers of the world,'” writes pathology technician Carla Valentine in her book.
The egg-laying flies that are attracted to dead bodies, she explains, “are mainly bluebottles from the Calliphora genus,” which will “lay eggs on orifices or wounds only, because the very young larvae need to eat decaying flesh but can’t break the skin to feed.”
Another type of fly, she adds, “doesn’t lay eggs but tiny maggots, which can start consuming flesh immediately. These are descriptively named Sarcophagidae or ‘flesh flies.'”
At this point, you may well be wondering, “How could learning all these details about a body’s process of decomposition after death be of any use to me?”
Well, Doughty explains that in today’s world, thinking about death and discussing any aspects related to it have become taboo.
“We can do our best to push death to the margins, keeping corpses behind stainless-steel doors and tucking the sick and dying in hospital rooms. So masterfully do we hide death, you would almost believe we are the first generation of immortals. But we are not.”
Caitlin Doughty
This implicit ban on death-related topics, she says, can only deepen people’s fear of death — both their own and that of others — and contribute to spreading misinformation about dead bodies as places of contamination.
Which is why, she writes, “[a] reminder of our fallibility is beneficial, and there is much to be gained by bringing back responsible exposure to decomposition.”
What happens to our bodies after we die isn’t a mystery, even if we may want it to be. If you want to confront the physical changes that take place, read on. The first visible change to the body—occurring 15 to 20 minutes after death—is pallor mortis, in which the body begins to pale.
- Meg Matthias
Sep 3, 2022 · While the more ineffable matters of what it feels like to die may always be fuzzy, what’s very clear is what happens to the body in a practical sense after death. But how we handle our dead bodies and what ceremonies and rites we perform still varies greatly around the world.
People also ask
What happens when you die?
What happens if a person dies without circulation?
What happens if something is still alive?
What happens to muscles when a person dies?
What happens to skin after death?
Jan 12, 2009 · The Body After Death - The body after death physically changes. Take a look at what happens to the body after death, from the death chill to rigor mortis, and how bodies are disposed of.
![What Happens To Your Body When You Die [Science] - Social News Daily](https://ca.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=what+will+happen+to+the+human+body+if+one&ei=UTF-8&th=122.3&tw=132.4&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialnewsdaily.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F10%2Fti_graphics_what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-die.png&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialnewsdaily.com%2F58864%2Fwhat-happens-to-your-body-when-you-die-science%2F&size=126KB&name=What+Happens+To+Your+Body+When+You+Die+%5BScience%5D+-+Social+News+Daily&oid=6&h=1111&w=1200&turl=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.I52FI42WS9mlIHlMwPB3IgHaG2%26pid%3DApi%26rs%3D1%26c%3D1%26qlt%3D95%26w%3D132%26h%3D122&tt=What+Happens+To+Your+Body+When+You+Die+%5BScience%5D+-+Social+News+Daily&sigr=tajHCzr9R2dy&sigit=QnUa0oJrX_Kv&sigi=fiPaLQhsqYcV&sign=eebyLRskHcZL&sigt=eebyLRskHcZL "What Happens To Your Body When You Die [Science] - Social News Daily")
