ABSTRACT
The translation of the word ‘asphyxia’ from the Greek means ‘absence or lack of pulsation’. There are almost as many classification schemes for the forensic aspects of asphyxia-related deaths as there are textbooks, and definitions for types of asphyxia deaths are equally varied, with attempts made to correlate post mortem findings with the known circumstances of death. The chapter focuses on those circumstances in which there has been a physical interference with the oxygenation of blood, by occlusion of the airways or the application of pressure to the neck or chest. Forensic medicine textbooks have traditionally described a stereotypical sequence of events following obstruction of the airways leading to fatal asphyxia. Three types of the application of direct pressure to the neck are of particular importance in forensic medicine: manual strangulation, ligature strangulation and hanging.
