Time since death. An entomological study on corpses. 1987

P Kulshrestha, and H Chandra
Medicolegal Institute, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Home (Police) Department, Bhopal, India.

After death, during disintegration, various environmental conditions and fauna play an important role, indicating "time since death." The natural openings of the host body provide the most important breeding place for an agent which could consume the body very quickly, e.g., flies. Wounds are preferred over the natural openings by this agent. In such cases, antemortem wounds become unidentifiable. This paper presents the study of 25 cases in which inferences relating to the maturation of blow fly life stages and the total developmental time of an adult blow fly in breeding experiments in the prevailing environment are drawn. These can be used to help estimate the "time since death" of infested bodies.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007814 Larva Wormlike or grublike stage, following the egg in the life cycle of insects, worms, and other metamorphosing animals. Maggots,Tadpoles,Larvae,Maggot,Tadpole
D011180 Postmortem Changes Physiological changes that occur in bodies after death. Adipocere,Algor Mortis,Cruor,Livor Mortis,Change, Postmortem,Changes, Postmortem,Postmortem Change
D011679 Pupa An inactive stage between the larval and adult stages in the life cycle of INSECTA. Chrysalis,Pupae
D004175 Diptera An order of the class Insecta. Wings, when present, number two and distinguish Diptera from other so-called flies, while the halteres, or reduced hindwings, separate Diptera from other insects with one pair of wings. The order includes the families Calliphoridae, Oestridae, Phoridae, SARCOPHAGIDAE, Scatophagidae, Sciaridae, SIMULIIDAE, Tabanidae, Therevidae, Trypetidae, CERATOPOGONIDAE; CHIRONOMIDAE; CULICIDAE; DROSOPHILIDAE; GLOSSINIDAE; MUSCIDAE; TEPHRITIDAE; and PSYCHODIDAE. The larval form of Diptera species are called maggots (see LARVA). Flies, True,Flies,Dipteras,Fly,Fly, True,True Flies,True Fly
D005554 Forensic Medicine The application of medical knowledge to questions of law. Legal Medicine,Medicine, Forensic,Medicine, Legal
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

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