ABSTRACT
Endogenous processes resulting in decomposition are autolysis, putrefaction and decay, whereas exogenous factors include animal predation, exposure to the elements and mechanical injury. As bacteria continuously penetrate the tissues, autolysis is finally superseded by the processes of putrefaction and decomposition. Various bacteria, among them clostridia, may, through alcohol fermentation, break down monosaccharides into alcohol to create those typical putrefactive alcohols in the cadaver. Reh proved for the first time a statistical correlation between putrefactive changes and water temperature. Especially when putrefactive changes are apparent, only a rough estimation of the PMI is possible based on subjective experience of the forensic pathologist, but this is not a scientifically sound method. Qualitative histological analysis of myocardial decay showed that autolysis advances faster in the subepicardial region than in the subendocardial region.
