Learn the process of decomposing corpses under water

We all know that death is often defined as the cessation of the activity of a living organism, or permanently stopping all life activities of a body.

After death, our bodies will have to go through the process of decomposition. So how will the body's decomposition process take place?

Normally when buried in soil, after 5-10 days, the decomposition process will begin to take place. At this time, microorganisms and bacteria in the body begin to "festival" , attack soft tissues, then after hairs and nails fall off, bacteria and insects will continue to penetrate into body, until only the skeleton remains. This process can last for years.

But when the body is exposed, it is different. Bacteria and countless insects like maggots, bugs will attack soft tissues. Depending on weather conditions, it is not surprising that you can find up to 250,000 maggots on an open corpses. Crustaceans such as wild dogs and vultures . also contribute to speeding up the decomposition process. And finally the body will be inert in the bone after only 2 weeks at most.

What about the body placed in the water? Due to the absence of insects and maggots, this process is slower than the exposed body, but the underwater corpse also has a very fast decay rate.

When you start to be visited by Death, your heart will stop, your body will relax now. After a few minutes, the body will become cold (a cool cooling process - algor mortis) due to lack of blood circulation and also because the temperature below the water is lower than normal.

When it first falls into the water, the body will sink quickly due to the presence of water in the lungs and stomach. After 30 minutes to 1 hour, the skin on the palms and feet begins to whiten with water soaked. A psoriasis (light reddish-brown patches appear on the skin and viscera after the body dies) appears quickly and spreads.

The drowned person will have foaming in the nasal cavity and mouth, called the lather , that occurs only when breathing in the water (if the victim died before falling into the water there will be no such phenomenon).

After 30 minutes - 1 hour, the skin on the palm of the hand, the feet begin to whiten because of the soaked water

After 15 to 24 hours, the corpse begins to rot. At this time, the bacteria in the body begin to digest themselves, creating a gas that makes the body become bloated, emerging. Due to soaking in the water for too long, the skin of the dead is pale, wrinkled, white, losing its elasticity and gradually loosening. In addition, when exposed, exposed to air and light, the examination areas may appear blue or dark brown.

From the next 24 to 48 hours, the epidermis on the body begins to separate. In the hands and feet, there is a phenomenon of 'shedding' and 'shedding' (terminology for autopsy, referring to skin peeling completely in these two areas).

In the next 5-15 days, the most 'scary' period. At this time, the hair and nails of the body were shed, while the scalp and meat layer were completely, still in skull. The internal organs wash out, decompose gradually.

However, if the water environment has a relatively low temperature (below 21 degrees Celsius), the body will form a layer of 'body fat wax' - adipocere (compound formed by bacteria that destroys tissues form), acting as a natural preservation layer.

But during this time, the body is like a banquet for small aquatic species like crabs and fish - they can come to soften the soft tissues on the face (eyes, lips .). In addition, larger fish species may appear, accelerating the process of decomposing the body, leaving behind only the skeleton.

Normally, the process of bone hydration under water lasts from 1 to 2 months, but may be earlier. In 2002, a study was conducted at the Portuguese and Spanish borders to learn about 9 corpses drifting hundreds of kilometers.

After 20 days, only two corpses were found and were in a terrible state of decomposition, only identifiable by DNA technology. In 2008, another study at a warmer water temperature, two bodies found after 34 days of drifting had suffered from multiple body bones, and a body that drifted after 3 months had completely broken. .