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The certification applies to somatic death, corresponding to death of the person, which has varying definitions but most commonly describes a lack of vital signs and brain function. [9] Death at the level of cells, called molecular death or cell death , follows a matter of hours later. [ 10 ]
In other cultures, death can include altered states of being, like sleep or illness. [5] In some traditions, death marks the transition into a different kind of existence, or involves a cyclic pattern of death and rebirth. [5] These cultural differences affect people's lifestyles, behaviors, and approach to death and dying. [5]
Livor mortis (from Latin līvor 'bluish color, bruise' and mortis 'of death'), postmortem lividity (from Latin post mortem 'after death' and lividitas 'black and blueness'), hypostasis (from Greek ὑπό (hypo) 'under, beneath' and στάσις (stasis) 'a standing') [1] [2] or suggillation, is the second stage of death and one of the signs of ...
The human skull is used universally as a symbol of death. [1] Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. [2] The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shortly after death. [3] Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms.
Rigor mortis [a] (from Latin rigor 'stiffness' and mortis 'of death'), or postmortem rigidity, is the fourth stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles postmortem (mainly calcium). [1] In humans, rigor mortis can occur as soon as ...
Cadaveric spasm is seen in cases of drowning victims when grass, weeds, roots or other materials are clutched, and provides evidence of life at the time of entry into the water. Cadaveric spasm often crystallizes the last activity one did before death and is therefore significant in forensic investigations, e.g. holding onto a knife tightly. [4]
It is now understood that death is a series of physical events, not a single one, and determination of permanent death is dependent on other factors beyond simple cessation of breathing and heartbeat. [11] Clinical death that occurs unexpectedly is treated as a medical emergency. CPR is initiated.
Since the 1960s, laws governing the determination of death have been implemented in all countries that have active organ transplantation programs. The first European country to adopt brain death as a legal definition (or indicator) of death was Finland in 1971, while in the United States, the state of Kansas had enacted a similar law earlier. [9]