engleski

Human decomposition in five different conditions in western Croatia- a retrospective study with special emphasis on mummification and skeletonization

BACKGROUND Human decomposition and taphonomy make an important research area within forensic anthropology and pathology. Given that prospective studies on humans are limited to a number of research facilities in the USA, most of the published papers are still based on animal models. However, studies have confirmed the usefulness of retrospective data in understanding human decomposition. AIM The aim of this study was to identify the differences and characteristics of human decay in western Croatia in five different conditions: (1) cadavers found in outdoor and (2) indoor settings, (3) those recovered from water, (4) hanging victims and (5) buried corpses. MATERIAL and METHODS Autopsy reports of 178 decomposed bodies were gathered from the archival sources of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminalistics, Rijeka, Croatia. Five different conditions from which the bodies have been retrieved, were analyzed with regards to the approximate postmortem interval (1st week/1st month/ 1-6 months/ >6 months), decomposition stage (initial and advanced late postmortem changes, partial skeletonization/mummification, complete skeletonization/mummification, adipocere formation) and season. A special emphasis was given to the rate and characteristics of skeletonization and mummification in the sample. RESULTS and CONCLUSION Of the 178 cases analyzed, 69 were found in enclosed settings, 49 outdoors, 22 in water, while 28 were hanging victims and 10 buried cadavers. The postmortem interval ranged from 3 days to 21 months. The decomposition stages were significantly correlated with postmortem interval (with slight variations between the analyzed conditions). The major differences observed between the five conditions were related to decomposition rates and stages. Cadavers recovered from ground and water expectedly exhibited slower decay rates, while hanging victims had significantly higher frequency of complete mummification in comparison to other categories. Partial mummification was noted also in victims from outdoor (35%) and indoor (21%) settings, but only hanging victims and a minor number of outdoor victims showed mummification of the whole body. Skeletonization was most often observed in victims retrieved from outdoor settings (48%), followed by hanging victims (29%). Differences in mummification/skeletonization rates were observed also between cadavers from indoor and outdoor settings. Although saponification was present in cadavers retrieved from outdoor settings (21%), ground (10%) and water (28%), complete saponification of the body was observed only in the last two. These results confirmed the influence of postmortem interval and decomposition condition on human decay. Some of the observed differences can be attributed to the climatic peculiarities of the studied region.

Croatia; forensic taphonomy; mummification; postmortem interval; skeletonization

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