An Innovative Approach of Examining Post- Mortem Skin Changes from a Mechanical Perspective, Stiffness based Novel Analysis

Mohammed Zahid Saadoon

Abstract: Forensic medicine is an important branch of forensic sciences. The need of timing determination should be based on sound comparable reproducible measurement, namely parametric approach. For the first time we reported a new method to measure postmortem changes and correlate them to death time. Our results showed clearly how the skin is changing after death. These changes will continue n predetermined controlled fashion until total decomposition of the body occurs. We conclude that mechanical properties of the skin correlating with the time passed from time of death could aid in death time determination.

Keywords: Forensic medicine, skin biomechanics, postmortem changes. Strain, displacement