The Three Stages Of Death

After a person dies, the body undergoes three different stages. Each stage happens gradually and after the previous one. Pathologists can determine the time of death of a person by examining the dead body. Usually, if it is in one of the first stages, then the body hasn't been dead for long. Let's discuss these stages.

Dead bodies are known as corpses, but the more medical term for a human dead body is a cadaver, or sometimes carcass (although 'carcass' is mostly used to describe and animal's corpse, and not a human's). Autolysis is the first stage of death, it is more commonly referred to as self-digestion. When a person dies, the body begins to digest itself using its digestive enzymes (enzymes are biological catalysts used to speed up chemical reactions in the body.) But how do investigators know when a body has begun autolysis? As a result of this process, liquid is formed between the layers of the body which causes the skin to 'peel' off. This is the stage that flies start to gather on the openings of the body to lay eggs, the maggots are hatched in the corpse and they start to eat the body when they get under the skin.

1 week after the body has been dead, bloating occurs. By 'bloating', I mean the body begins to 'puff up'. This is due to accumulating gases in the body. It is most notable in the abdomen of the person. The increase of air pressure of the accumulating gases forces liquids out of the openings of the body (nose, mouth, etc.) and this is what usually causes the stench of a dead person. 

Putrification is the last and final stage. It also takes the longest time. This is the stage where the organs of the body liquefy and become unidentifiable. It takes several years for the completion of this process until all that remains is the skeleton.