Algor mortis

Algor mortis (Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...

: algor—coolness; mortis—of death) is the reduction in body temperature following death

Death

Death is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...

. This is generally a steady decline until matching ambient temperature, although external factors can have a significant influence.

Algor mortis (Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...

: algor—coolness; mortis—of death) is the reduction in body temperature following death

Death

Death is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...

. This is generally a steady decline until matching ambient temperature, although external factors can have a significant influence.

A measured rectal temperature can give some indication of the time of death. Although the heat conduction

Heat conduction

In heat transfer, conduction is the transfer of thermal energy between neighboring molecules in a substance due to a temperature gradient. It always takes place from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature, and acts to equalize temperature differences. Conduction takes...

 which leads to body cooling follows an exponential decay

Exponential decay

A quantity is said to be subject to exponential decay if it decreases at a rate proportional to its value. Symbolically, this can be expressed as the following differential equation, where N is the quantity and λ is a positive number called the decay constant.The solution to this equation is:Here...

 curve, it can be approximated as a linear process: 2° Celsius

Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...

during the first hour and 1° Celsius per hour until the body nears ambient temperature.

The Glaister equation, for example, is (98.4°F − rectal temperature) / 1.5, giving hours elapsed since death.

As decomposition occurs the internal body temperature tends to rise again.

External links

• Standards Employed to Determine Time of Death