The Estimation of Time Since Death by De Saram et al. Method Applied to the Corpses Brought to Ggh Mortuary, Guntur

Abstract

A physical change that may occur in a corpse after death would be heat exchange from the body to thesurrounding environment. An attempt has been made by the investigators to estimate time since death by DeSaram method which takes into account the rate of fall of temperature. A total of 100 human corpses selectedfor the study. The study was conducted from October to December of the year 2022. It is very difficult to specifynormal body temperature, as this value can vary considerably between individuals. Rectal temperatures in agroup of healthy subjects can vary between 34.2 C- 37.6 C, with a mean of 36.9 C. Rectal temperature is oftenreferred to as deep central temperature, similar in value to that of brain, heart, lungs and abdominal organs. Theestimated time since death by De saram method is either underestimated or over estimated and is not suitablefor tropical countries like India. The applied method is suitable in winter season of the year particularly wherethere is significant fall in body temperature noted when compared to other seasons of the year.