For many years it was accepted that
death occurred if respiration and circulation ceased for more than 10 minutes.
Now it is possible to stop the heart and respiration for an hour or longer and
restart them again at will by methods such as cooling the whole body to 15°C or
59°F or less. During this period, ECG and EEG show no electrical activity and
body looks like a corpse. This leads to the view that it is not the cessation
of the respiration or circulation but it is their failure to return that
indicates death. Thus we are driven from a positive to negative approach.
Therefore, the doctor while taking decision must satisfy himself that not only
respiration and circulation have stopped, but their failure has persisted to
such a period that under no circumstances it is possible for the person to come
to life again.
- Death is said to have occurred when a final expiration
is followed by continuous immobility of the chest, loss of pulse and
alteration of the features. These changes indicate that respiration and
circulation have been stopped and the brain will stop functioning if it
has not been so.
- Residual heart movement is not of practical importance
as they are insufficient to maintain the circulation.
- Somatic death can be detected by ECG that will stop
within minutes.
(Ref: Dr. PC Dikshit Head (MAMC) MD
LLB, Textbook of Forensic Medicine, Peepee Publishers)
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