Death

[Mr Rayon]

After a person dies, the muscles stop working (after rigor mortis). I have heard that when the body is put into a constant state where it cannot be moved (for example in a grave), gravity pushes the blood downwards and results in it being located elsewhere in the body. Is this true? If so, how long will it take for the blood to go down? Which route does the blood take to get down?

 

 

Thanks

[lokanath]

Birth and death are two terms used by people who talk about the existence of material bodies experienced through the 5 sense organs viz. ear,skin,eye,tongue,and nose. What was the state of matter before being made available for the senses to experience is a question that require much thought. When a body ceases to be non-experienceable through your senses, you call it DEAD!!.When a body ( be an atom, a cell or a child) beomes expereinceable to your sense you say Oh.. it is BORN!! The science behind this need much explanation. Please mail if interested : REMOVED@by.Staff

[YT2095]

Answer his Question, and if you can`t then Don`t, spewing out off topic nonsense is NOT at all helpful!

 

anyway, this is a Question for Doctor Blike, he`s hacked up loads of stiffs and will know the answer for sure.

[thedarkshade]

I have heard that when the body is put into a constant state where it cannot be moved (for example in a grave), gravity pushes the blood downwards and results in it being located elsewhere in the body. Is this true? If so, how long will it take for the blood to go down? Which route does the blood take to get down?

To go down or up it depends from the position of the body when put in a grave. If legs are higher then the level of head, then it will go 'up' and the other way around too.

 

Which route? Well, that one probably is 'chosen' by a 'chaotic' probability, probably the one in which blood flows more easily!

 

But, what's the point of the question anyway?, or is it just for curiosity (if so, weird)!!!

[Realitycheck]

It seems like it would stiffen and coagulate within the various tissues, ultimately drying up.

[amaysa]

It seems like it would stiffen and coagulate within the various tissues, ultimately drying up.

 

I agree with this view, blood would coagulate all across the body and would distinctly solidify in larger blood vessels. Thus, the idea that blood would "get down" to lower regions of the body through some route, seems invalid to me.

[too_bored]

I agree with agentchange and amaysa in that the blood will coagulate where it is since the heart stopped, eventually stopping circulation.

[Psycho]

I agree with this view, blood would coagulate all across the body and would distinctly solidify in larger blood vessels. Thus, the idea that blood would "get down" to lower regions of the body through some route, seems invalid to me.

 

It does go down to the bottom as if you kill someone and then leave them there blood pools in certain areas of the body which they are lying on and have pressure on, that is how most investigators know a body has been moved after they have been killed as the murderer doesn't place them in the same position and the blood has now congealed meaning it won't move any more so isn't in relation to the ground.

 

I'm not sure how it does it I would guess it just flows down through the circulatory system and maybe slightly my osmosis out of cells, i'm guessing that all of it doesn't move down to the bottom just a higher percentage than normal does.

[mooeypoo]

Actually, I think there is a condition for the living that results from the same mechanism.. It affects mostly the elderly or chronically ill -- people who spend the vast majority of their "time" lying in bed.

 

I don't know what it's called but I remember seeing something about this in some science TV show... According to what I remember, people who are sick and in bed for long times sometimes get "blue spots" on their backs and bottoms because the fact that their body is horizontal 'screws up' the blood flow (the body is "used" to be standing up).

 

I'm not sure about any of this, but it may shed light on what happens when the person is dead. However, the fact that the heart stops beating and that the blood, at some point, starts solidifying, probably has influence on the dead rather than the living

 

If any Doc here knows what I'm referring to, I would love to know what it's called.. it's quite interesting

 

~moo

[Psycho]

Actually, I think there is a condition for the living that results from the same mechanism.. It affects mostly the elderly or chronically ill -- people who spend the vast majority of their "time" lying in bed.

 

I don't know what it's called but I remember seeing something about this in some science TV show... According to what I remember, people who are sick and in bed for long times sometimes get "blue spots" on their backs and bottoms because the fact that their body is horizontal 'screws up' the blood flow (the body is "used" to be standing up).

 

If any Doc here knows what I'm referring to, I would love to know what it's called.. it's quite interesting

 

~moo

 

That is plasma building up in the legs causing swelling due to a lack of movement, that isn't actually pooling of blood, well I suppose in a way it is as plasma is one of the main constituents of blood, not sure what it is called though.

 

The other one is caused from excess pressure being exerted on areas for a long period of time, in laymens terms they are bed sores causes by a lack of movement as normally even when you sleep you are adjusting your body and rolling over however if you are in a coma or something similar you can't do these default actions.

 

I believe they are 2 different conditions however I would guess they have similar causes.

[Sly7]

The blood will begin to move freely downward (if the body was laying on the back, the blood would move to the back). This is because after the heart has stopped beating blood has nothing affecting it exept gravity. Eventually it solidifies and the tissues dry up, but as you see in crime scenes, if a body has been deceased for a couple of hours there is noticible coloration at the lowest point