[hermantheshocker]

Some of the stuff I work on doesn't make the cut so I thought about gathering them up in a single post. So basically it's images I have little or no info about or I've decided that they don't get their own thread, for example, because of low image/content quality, lack of backstory or additional info/knowledge, possibly uninteresting, only one image but not very special. I still do the usual image work including upscaling and color correction as needed, as I prefer to have my content high quality and educational.

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Case 1


Fig1.1 Maggot face.

A man was found on the floor with a shirt over his head and his face below the forehead showing through the collar. This explained why the central portion of his face had accelerated decomposition compared to the forehead, and had maggots that could not get to the covered forehead. No further info.

Maggots cause most of the body's decomposition because the maggot will do the majority of the eating. Maggots have powerful proteolytic enzymes that aid the dissolution of tissues and facilitate penetration. The maggots are voracious and energetic, first exploring the natural passages, such as mouth and nostrils, then burrowing into the tissues. They secrete digestive fluids with proteolytic enzymes that help soften the tissues, burrowing beneath the skin, and making tunnels and sinuses that hasten putrefaction by admitting air and access to external micro-organisms. Successive waves of eggs are laid, producing new generations of maggots. Eventually, loss of tissue and drying makes the host cadaver unattractive to egg-laying insects, and the later stages of decomposition become free from maggots.

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Case 2


Fig2.1 The body of a man who overdosed on methadone.

The body of a man who overdosed on methadone has gone into gross decomposition. Newport, Rhode Island. No further info. At the bloating stage, the microorganisms residing in the human gut begin to digest the tissues of the body, excreting gases that cause the torso and limbs to bloat, and producing foul-smelling chemicals including putrescine and cadaverine.

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Case 3


Fig3.1 Postmortem carnivore activity caused by domestic pigs.


Fig3.2

The body of this individual was consumed postmortem by domestic pigs. No further info. Postmortem animal depredation is a substantial part of the taphonomic processes a body undergoes after death and is a well-known phenomenon to forensic death investigators, the morphological appearance of these injuries can be misinterpreted by police officers investigating the suspected crime scene or by the consulted medical practitioner.

A broad range of carnivores can be involved in the postmortem destruction of corpses located in open spaces or indoors (e.g. wild animals such as foxes and big cats or domestic animals such as dogs and cats). The wound margins caused by carnivores often appear more regular than those caused by rodents and V-shaped or rhomboid punctured wounds are often seen upon the intact skin in the immediate vicinity to the actual wound margins. Such stab wound-like defects represent canine tooth marks of carnivore origin. An additional criterion for animal depredation by carnivores is the presence of claw-induced linear scratch-type abrasions in the vicinity of the damaged skin areas.

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Case 4


Fig4.1 Decomposition & bagged hands.

In this case, police and scene investigators were suspicious that this individual was killed by blunt force injuries to the head, so the hands were bagged and the case handled as a homicide. The cause of death was coronary artery disease, and these are the changes of decomposition. Decomposition: discoloration and swelling of tissues of the face, mimicking blunt force injury and “purging” of dark fluids resembling dark blood. Postmortem production of gas by bacteria causes swelling and discoloration of tissues. The gas forces dark, decomposing fluids out of the mouth and nose. These signs can resemble blunt force injuries to the untrained eye.

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Case 5


Fig5.1 Extreme tissue discoloration and gas formation in a body removed from water.

Decomposition: extreme tissue discoloration and gas formation in a body removed from water. Bodies removed from water show excessive gas production and tissue discoloration, owing to explosive bacterial gas production. The gas causes the bodies to bloat excessively, which can cause an explosion or sudden rupture of the tense abdomen.

Recovering bodies from water is a common task for any medical examiner or coroner office. Unfortunately, there will be a significant postmortem interval before many of these remains are found. A thorough scene investigation must be undertaken to determine if the location of the death and that of the body recovery are the same.

Decomposition in a wet environment differs from that in other settings, both in the changes that occur and the rate at which they occur. It is essential that the forensic pathologist or medicolegal death investigator recognize and appreciate the uniqueness of immersed and submerged remains. The typical decomposition changes proceed more slowly in the water, primarily due to cooler temperatures and the anaerobic environment. However, once a body is removed from the water, putrefaction will likely be accelerated. Postmortem changes are not only affected by water temperature, but also by current as well as obstacles and structures, both natural and man-made, that may interact with the remains.

The anaerobic nature of decomposition for wet or submerged remains may result in adipocere formation, a unique and fascinating process that results from incomplete transformation of lipids by bacteria. Insect and animal species feeding on the remains are different for submerged bodies. Postmortem predation may cause external defects that mimic injuries and should be interpreted with care. Forensic pathologists and medicolegal death investigators must be aware of the postmortem changes that may occur with submerged and immersed bodies.

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Case 6


Fig6.1 Destruction of most of the head from a contact shotgun wound.


Fig6.2


Fig6.3

Destruction of most of the head from a contact shotgun wound. There was no further info about this case, so here's just some general info: At close range, the shotgun is the most formidable and destructive of all small arms. For birdshot and buckshot loads, the severity and lethality of a shotgun wound depends on the number of pellets that enter the body, the organs struck by the pellets, and the amount of tissue destruction. Typically, these wounds are jagged, irregular lacerations with everted edges and bone fragments under the skin.

In the head, neck, and limbs, shotgun exit wounds can be ragged and very large, with extensive tissue damage. In a suicide where the gun has been placed in the mouth, there will be significant disruption of the head, and brain may be expelled, the so-called “burst head” effect.

The head is the most common location for a suicidal shotgun wound (74%), followed by the chest (20%) and then the abdomen (6%). In head wounds, the most common location was intraoral (50%), followed by under the chin (19%); side of head, including parietal and temporal wounds (15%); and the face, including the forehead (13%).

In the case of homicides, 59% occurred at a distant range, 21% occurred at an inter-mediate range, and 8% were at contact range. There was not a significant most common location for homicidal shotgun wounds, though the head, chest, and multiple locations all occurred about 25% of the time, representing the three most common locations. The most common locations of wounds to the head were face, including forehead (37%), and the side of the head, including parietal and temporal wounds (23%). (Molina et al. 2007).

Shotguns differ from rifles and handguns in construction, ammunition, ballistics, and use. Rifles and handguns fire a single projectile down a rifled barrel. Shotguns have a smooth bore. Although they can fire a single projectile, they are usually employed to fire multiple pellets. Rifled shotgun barrels, intended for use with slugs, are available. Shotguns may be autoloaders, pump (slide action), over/under, side-by-side, bolt action, or single shot. Some shotguns usually intended for military and/or police use convert from semiautomatic to pump action and back as the user desires.

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Case 7


Fig7.1 A contact entrance wound of the scalp, with a muzzle imprint abrasion.

In this image is a contact entrance wound of the scalp, with a muzzle imprint abrasion. The explosive gases force the surrounding skin against the muzzle of the weapon, resulting in the imprint abrasion. Also in the image is a view of the muzzle of the weapon used in this case. No further info about this case.

A contact wound is one in which the muzzle of the weapon is held against the body at the time of discharge. In contact gunshot wounds in areas where only a thin layer of skin overlies bone (usually the head), the gas expanding in the subcutaneous tissue may produce effects other than tearing of the skin. The ballooned-out skin may slam against the muzzle of the weapon with enough force to imprint the outline of the muzzle on the skin.

Such imprints may be extremely detailed. The more gas produced by the ammunition and weapon, the harder the skin will impact against the muzzle, and thus the greater the detail of the imprint. Imprints of the muzzle of the weapon occur not only in regions where a thin layer of skin overlies bone but also in the chest and abdomen.

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Case 8


Fig8.1 Bulging of the eyes, lips and face, with protrusion of the tongue, all related to decomposition.

Note the bulging eyes, lips and face with protrusion of the tongue on this decomposing individual, all related to the decomposition process. No further info about this case.

Decomposition, or putrefaction, is a combination of two processes: autolysis and bacterial action. Autolysis is the breakdown of cells and organs through an aseptic chemical process caused by intracellular enzymes. Because it is a chemical process, it is accelerated by heat, slowed by cold, and stopped by freezing. Bacterial action results in the conversion of soft tissues in the body to liquids and gases. The chemicals produced as a result of putrefaction are cadaverine and putrescine, hydrogen sulfide and other sulfides, which generate a horrible smell.

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Case 9


Fig9.1 Bloating of face and effusion of blood-tinged fluid from the nostrils and mouth.

Bloating of face and effusion of blood-tinged fluid from the nostrils and mouth. A body recovered from water, postmortem time approximately 11 days. No further info.

Putrefaction begins immediately upon death and usually becomes noticeable within 24 hours. As soon as death occurs, the bacteria or microorganisms within the intestinal tract escape from the bowel into the other tissues of the body. As they grow, they begin to produce gases and other properties that distort and discolor the tissues of the body. The decomposition of the gastrointestinal tract results in a dark, foul-smelling liquid called "purge fluid" that is forced out of the nose and mouth due to gas pressure in the intestine. The skin discoloration is a dark greenish combination of colors and is generally pronounced within 36 hours. As a result, the body begins to swell from the putrefactive gases, emitting an extremely repugnant odor.

The rate of decomposition depends on the temperature, ground conditions, amount of clothing, size of the body, etc. For example, a body in a warm climate will not only encourage insect attack from the outside, but will also increase the interior bacteria development and subsequent tissue attack from within. As the tissues inside are destroyed and enzymes released, the gases formed emit a foul and sickening smell.

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This post is for educational purposes only and is nonprofit. Under Section 107 of the US Copyright Act of 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. OP is not a medical expert. No copyright infringement intended. This post does not encourage or glorify violence/harassment. Images might have been upscaled and enhanced. Text might have been shortened and simplified/reorganized for online view.

[ride]

Fig 1, Maggot Face. The name of my punk band, Chainsaw Suicide's first album.
Fig 2, Methadone overdose. I thought that shit was supposed to help.
Fig 6.1, Shotgun destruction of head. Does anyone else see Bill Murray?
Fig 9.1 Bloating and effusion. Looks like he decomposed in a wind tunnel.

[William May]

Herman, if you didn't know anything, you could always just make stuff up.
Everyone would believe you.

[SimoneFlen']

Great mix, mate, thank you.

[hermantheshocker]

Originally Posted by William May ↗

Herman, if you didn't know anything, you could always just make stuff up.
Everyone would believe you.

Haha yes I'm probably at that point now that I could get away with it

[redrum217]

Originally Posted by ride ↗

Fig 2, Methadone overdose. I thought that shit was supposed to help.

It does, if used properly

He would have had better luck using Suboxone instead of methadone.

[wmSgt]

Great info! I love all the medical terminology and explanations.

[rambbb]

herman: uses medical terminology to describe the cases
also herman: “maggot face”

nice mix as always

[Karma]

I love the info and details in your fascinating posts. They are something to come back to time and time again.
Thank you.

[TheBraveOne]

Thank you sir.