Guest article

The topic of death and all subsequent processes connected not only with the soul, but also with the body, remains one of the least discussed. However, it is extremely useful to know exactly what processes occur with human tissues depending on the type of burial. The changes that tissues and cells undergo are different for the traditional method of burial and cremation, and therefore they must be considered separately.

Biological processes

After burial, those changes that can be noticed even before burial are accelerated. The skin becomes even paler, stiffness intensifies, poisoning of all tissues continues toxic substances. From the back, the body acquires a blue, then a black tint, as the remnants of blood accumulate here. The first to decompose are the brain and liver, since these organs contain the most water.

If the body has not been embalmed or cremated, the active development of bacterial colonies begins. The internal organs no longer work, the protection of the tissues is also absent. The first growth is shown by those microorganisms that each person has, but often in a dormant state. That is why the opening of graves at this stage, which is sometimes required, is very dangerous for the health of the people involved.

The next stage is molecular death. Tissues begin not only to decompose, but to change their composition. Gases, hydrochloric and acidic substances, cells are released former organs broken down into its simplest components. Soft tissues are the first to enter this stage, bones, hair, and nails last the longest, although they also gradually change their structure. Under conditions of average temperature, such a process begins to actively proceed approximately one year after burial. It hangs up within a few months. All formed liquids and gases gradually seep through the coffin, going into the soil. That is why criminologists and archaeologists use the term "island", noting that the composition of the soil in this place is significantly different.

After there are no liquids and gases left from the soft tissues, all processes slow down dramatically. Only bones remain from the body, which are preserved for hundreds of years. They are gradually destroyed, lose their density, can break, but complete molecular death is extremely rare.

It must be understood that all ongoing processes will depend on climatic conditions, type of soil, even the condition of the patient's body. If the tissues were already infected, the spread of bacterial colonies will be lightning fast. But cases of conservation are also known, for example, under the influence of industrially contaminated soils, in which most of the microorganisms die. In extremely cold climates, decomposition also slows down significantly.

What happens after cremation

The cremation procedure is the main method of burial in many cultures and religions, but even for atheists it is attractive, primarily due to the absence of the same decomposition processes after burial. In fact, the ashes that are obtained after the burning of the body no longer change its chemical composition. Such processes are not possible in conventional living conditions. It is often practiced to bury the urn traditional way in an ordinary coffin.

Polka in the process of cremation completely removes all liquids, gases, any microorganisms disappear, the resulting powder is completely sterile. It does not decompose or rot. Even under the influence of moisture in the future, the ashes will not be a breeding ground for bacteria. It does not dissolve in water, for example, under the action of ground water. Can only be compacted under pressure after the destruction of the coffin.

Let's pluck up the courage and take a closer look at the details. It's all that's left of you.

"It's going to take a lot of work to straighten it all out," dissector Holly Williams says, raising John's arm and gently bending his fingers, elbow and hand on it. "As a rule, the fresher the corpse, the easier it is for me to work with him."

Williams speaks in a low voice and carries himself positively and easily, contrary to the nature of his profession. She practically grew up in a family funeral home in the north of the US state of Texas, where she now works. She had seen dead bodies almost daily since childhood. She is now 28 years old and, according to her, she has already managed to work with about a thousand corpses.

She is in charge of collecting the bodies of the recently deceased in the metropolis of Dallas - Fort Worth and preparing them for burial.

“Most of the people we go after die in nursing homes,” says Williams. “But sometimes there are victims of car accidents or shootings. It also happens that we are called to pick up the body of a person who died alone, lay for several days or weeks and has already begun to decompose. In such cases, my work is greatly complicated. "

By the time John was brought to the funeral home, he had been dead for about four hours. During his lifetime, he was relatively healthy. He worked all his life for oil fields Texas and therefore was physically active and in good shape. He quit smoking decades ago and drank alcohol moderately. But one cold January morning, an acute incident happened to him at home. heart attack(caused by some other, unknown causes), he fell to the floor and died almost immediately. He was 57 years old.

Now John lies on Williams' metal table, his body wrapped in a white sheet, cold and hard. His skin is purplish-gray, indicating that the early stages of decomposition have already begun.

self absorption

A dead body is actually far from being as dead as it seems - it is teeming with life. Increasingly, scientists are leaning toward viewing the rotting corpse as the cornerstone of a vast and complex ecosystem, emerging shortly after death, flourishing and evolving through decay.

Decomposition begins a few minutes after death - a process called autolysis, or self-absorption, starts. Shortly after the heart stops beating, the cells begin to oxygen starvation, and as toxic by-products accumulate chemical reactions cells become more acidic. Enzymes begin to absorb cell membranes and flow out when the cells are destroyed. This process usually begins in the enzyme-rich liver and in the brain, which contains a lot of water. Gradually, all other tissues and organs also begin to disintegrate in a similar way. Damaged blood cells begin to flow out of the destroyed vessels and, under the influence of gravity, move into the capillaries and small veins, causing the skin to lose color.

The body temperature begins to decrease and eventually equalizes with the ambient temperature. Then comes rigor mortis - it starts with the muscles of the eyelids, jaw and neck and gradually reaches the torso and then to the limbs. During life, muscle cells contract and relax as a result of the interaction of two filament proteins, actin and myosin, which move along each other. After death, cells lose their energy sources, and filament proteins freeze in one position. As a result, muscles stiffen and joints become blocked.

In these early post-mortem stages, the cadaveric ecosystem consists mainly of bacteria that also live in a living human body. A gigantic amount of bacteria lives in our bodies, different nooks and crannies human body serve as a haven for specialized colonies of microbes. The most numerous of these colonies live in the intestines: there are trillions of bacteria - hundreds, if not thousands of different species.

The intestinal microcosm is one of the most popular areas for research in biology, general state human health and a huge range of different diseases and conditions, from autism and depression to disturbing intestinal syndrome and obesity. But we still know quite a bit about what these microscopic passengers do in our lifetime. We know even less about what happens to them after we die.

immune collapse

In August 2014, forensic expert Gulnaz Zhavan and colleagues from the University of Alabama in the US city of Montgomery published the first ever study of thanatomicrobiome - bacteria that live in the human body after death. This name is derived from scientists Greek word"thanatos", death.

“Many of these samples come from criminal investigations,” says Zhavan. “When someone dies as a result of suicide, murder, drug overdose, or car accident I take samples of their fabrics. Sometimes ethically difficult moments arise, because we need the consent of relatives."

Most of our internal organs do not contain germs during life. However, shortly after death the immune system stops working, and nothing else prevents it from freely spreading throughout the body. Usually this process begins in the intestines, at the border of the small and large intestines. The bacteria living there begin to absorb the intestines from the inside, and then the tissues surrounding it, feeding on the chemical mixture that flows from the collapsing cells. These bacteria then invade blood capillaries digestive system and in The lymph nodes spreading first to the liver and spleen, and then to the heart and brain.

Zhavan and her colleagues took liver, spleen, brain, heart and blood samples from 11 cadavers. This was done in the interval from 20 to 240 hours after death. To analyze and compare the bacterial composition of the samples, the researchers used two state-of-the-art DNA sequencing technologies in combination with bioinformatics.

Samples taken from various organs one corpse, were very similar to each other, but very different from samples taken from the same organs in other dead bodies. Perhaps to some extent this is due to the difference in the composition of the microbiomes (sets of microbes) of these bodies, but it may also be the time that has passed since death. An earlier study of decomposing mouse carcasses showed that the microbiome changes dramatically after death, but the process is consistent and measurable. Scientists were eventually able to determine the time of death to within three days within a nearly two-month period.

Unappetizing experiment

Zhavan's findings suggest that a similar "microbial clock" seems to work in the human body as well. Scientists have found that bacteria reach the liver about 20 hours after death, and it takes them at least 58 hours to get to all the organs from which tissue samples were taken. Apparently, in dead body Bacteria spread systematically, and counting the time it takes for them to enter a particular organ may be another new way to determine the exact moment of death.

“After death, the bacterial composition changes,” Zhavan notes. “They get to the heart, brain and reproductive organs". In 2014, a group of scientists under her leadership received a grant of 200 thousand dollars from the National scientific fund United States for further research. "We will use next-generation genome sequencing and bioinformatics to find out which organ has the most accurate timing of death - we don't know yet," she says.

However, it is already clear that different sets of bacteria correspond to different stages of decomposition.

But what does the process of carrying out such a study look like?

Under the city of Huntsville in the US state of Texas in a pine forest lies half a dozen corpses on different stages decomposition. The two freshest, limbs spread apart, are laid out closer to the center of a small fenced enclosure. Much of their saggy, blue-gray skin is still preserved, ribs and ends pelvic bones bulge out of slowly rotting flesh. A few meters away lies another corpse, now essentially a skeleton, its black, hardened skin stretched over its bones, as if it were wearing a shiny latex suit from head to toe. Farther away, behind the remains scattered by the vultures, lies a third body, protected by a cage of wooden planks and wire. It is nearing the end of its post-mortem cycle and has already been partially mummified. There are several large brown mushrooms growing where his belly once was.

natural decay

For most people, the sight of a rotting corpse is at least unpleasant, and more often than not, it is repulsive and frightening, as nightmare. But for the Southeast Texas Applied Forensics Science Lab, it's business as usual. This facility opened in 2009 and is located on 100 hectares of forest owned by Sam Houston University. In this forest, a plot of about three and a half hectares has been allocated for research. It is surrounded by a three-meter-high green metal fence with barbed wire running on top, and inside it is divided into several smaller sections.

At the end of 2011, university employees Sybil Buchely and Aaron Lynn and colleagues left two fresh husks there to decompose in natural conditions.

When bacteria begin to spread from digestive tract, starting the process of self-absorption of the body, decay begins. This is death at the molecular level: the further disintegration of soft tissues, their transformation into gases, liquids and salts. It also goes to early stages decomposition, but gains full momentum when it comes into play anaerobic bacteria.

Putrefactive decomposition is the stage at which the baton passes from aerobic bacteria (which require oxygen to grow) to anaerobic bacteria - that is, those that do not need oxygen.

During this process, the body becomes even more discolored. Damaged blood cells continue to leak out of the disintegrating vessels, and anaerobic bacteria convert hemoglobin molecules (which carry oxygen around the body) into sulfhemoglobin. The presence of its molecules in stagnant blood gives the skin a marbled, greenish-black appearance, characteristic of a corpse in the stage of active decay.

Special Habitat

As the gas pressure builds up in the body, abscesses appear over the entire surface of the skin, after which large areas of the skin separate and sag, barely holding on to the decaying base. Eventually the gases and liquefied tissues leave the corpse, usually exiting and flowing out of the anus and other orifices of the body, and often through torn skin on other parts of it. Sometimes the gas pressure is so high that abdominal cavity bursts.

Cadaveric distention is usually considered a sign of the transition from early to late stages decomposition. Another recent study showed that this transition is characterized by noticeable changes in the set of cadaveric bacteria.

Buchelly and Lynn took bacterial samples from different parts bodies at the beginning and at the end of the swelling stage. Then they extracted the microbial DNA and sequenced it.

Buchelly is an entomologist, so she is primarily interested in the insects inhabiting the corpse. She views the dead body as a special habitat for various kinds necrophage insects (corpse eaters), and in some of them the entire life cycle takes place entirely inside the corpse, on it, and in its vicinity.

When a decomposing organism begins to leave liquids and gases, it becomes completely open to the environment. At this stage, the corpse's ecosystem begins to manifest itself especially rapidly: it turns into the epicenter of the vital activity of microbes, insects and scavengers.

larval stage

Two types of insects are closely associated with decay: carrion flies and gray blowflies, as well as their larvae. The corpses give off a foul, sickly-sweet smell, caused by a complex cocktail of volatile compounds that constantly changes as they decompose. Carrion flies sense this smell with the help of receptors located on their antennae, sit on the body and lay their eggs in holes in the skin and in open wounds.

Each female fly lays about 250 eggs, from which small larvae hatch in a day. They feed on rotting meat and molt into larger larvae, which continue to eat and molt again after a few hours. After feeding for some time, these already large larvae crawl away from the body, after which they pupate and eventually transform into adult flies. The cycle repeats until the larvae no longer have food left.

IN favorable conditions an actively decaying organism serves as a haven for a large number of third-stage fly larvae. The mass of their bodies produces a lot of heat, as a result of which internal temperature rises more than 10 degrees. Like flocks of penguins around the South Pole, the larvae in this mass are in constant motion. But if the penguins resort to this method to keep warm, then the larvae, on the contrary, tend to cool down.

"It's a double-edged sword," explains Bucheli, sitting in his university office, surrounded by large toy insects and cute monster dolls. "If they are on the periphery of this mass, they risk becoming food for birds, and if they remain center - they can just weld. Therefore, they constantly move from the center to the edges and back. "

Flies attract predators - beetles, ticks, ants, wasps and spiders that feed on fly eggs and larvae. Vultures and other scavengers, as well as other large meat-eating animals, can also come to feast.

Unique composition

However, in the absence of scavengers, the fly larvae are engaged in the absorption of soft tissues. In 1767, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (who developed a unified classification system for flora and fauna) noted that "three flies are able to devour the carcass of a horse with the same speed as a lion." Larvae of the third stage massively crawl away from the corpse, often along the same trajectories. Their activity is so high that, after decomposition, their migration routes can be observed as deep furrows on the soil surface, diverging into different sides from a corpse.

Each species of living being that visits a dead body has its own unique set of digestive microbes, and in different types soils are inhabited by different colonies of bacteria - their exact composition, apparently, is determined by factors such as temperature, humidity, soil type and structure.

All these microbes are mixed with each other in the cadaveric ecosystem. Arriving flies not only lay eggs, but also bring their own bacteria with them, and carry away strangers. The liquefied tissues flowing out allow bacterial exchange between the dead organism and the soil on which it lies.

When Buchely and Lynn take bacteria samples from dead bodies, they find microbes that originally lived on the skin, as well as others brought in by flies and scavengers, as well as from the soil. "When the liquids and gases leave the body, the bacteria that lived in the intestines leave with them - more and more of them begin to be found in the surrounding soil," Lynn explains.

Thus, each husk appears to have unique microbiological characteristics that may change over time to suit the conditions of its particular location. By understanding the composition of these bacterial colonies, the relationships between them, and how they affect each other as they decompose, forensic scientists may someday be able to gain much more information about where, when, and how the person under investigation died.

Mosaic elements

For example, the detection of DNA sequences in a corpse that are characteristic of certain organisms or soil types, can help forensics link a murder victim to a specific geographic location, or even further narrow their search for clues down to a specific field in some area.

"There have been several trials in which criminal entomology has really come into its own, providing the missing pieces of the puzzle," Bucely says. She believes that bacteria are capable of producing Additional information and serve as a new tool for determining the time of death. "I hope that in five years we will be able to use bacteriological data in court," she says.

To this end, scientists are carefully cataloging the types of bacteria that live on and off the human body and studying how the composition of the microbiome varies from person to person. "It would be great to have a data set from birth to death," Buceli says. "I would like to meet a donor who would allow me to take bacterial samples during life, after death and during decay."

"We're studying the fluid that leaks out of decaying bodies," says Daniel Wescott, director of the Center for Criminal Anthropology at the University of Texas at San Marcos.

Westcott's area of ​​interest is the study of the structure of the skull. Via computed tomography he analyzes the microscopic structures of the bones of corpses. He works alongside entomologists and microbiologists, including Zhavan (who, in turn, examines soil samples taken from the experimental site in San Marcos where the corpses lie), computer engineers, and the operator who controls the drone - with his using aerial photographs of the site.

"I read an article about drones being used to study agricultural land to see which ones are the most fertile. Their cameras operate in near-infrared, which shows that organic-rich soils have dark color, than others. I thought that since such a technology exists, then maybe it can be useful for us too - to look for these little brown spots," he says.

rich soil

The "brown spots" that the scientist is talking about are the areas where the corpses decomposed. A rotting body significantly changes the chemical composition of the soil on which it lies, and these changes can be noticeable within a few subsequent years. The pouring out of liquefied tissues from dead remains enriches the soil with nutrients, and the migration of larvae transfers much of the body's energy to its surroundings.

Over time, as a result of this whole process, an "island of corpse decomposition" appears - a zone with high concentration rich organic matter soil. In addition to the nutrient compounds released into the ecosystem from the cadaver, there are also dead insects, scavenger dung, and so on.

According to some estimates, the human body is 50-75% water, and every kilogram of dry body weight during decomposition releases into environment 32 grams of nitrogen, 10 grams of phosphorus, four grams of potassium and one gram of magnesium. At first, this kills the vegetation below and around, perhaps due to nitrogen toxicity or due to antibiotics contained in the body, which release insect larvae into the soil that eat the corpse. Ultimately, however, decomposition has a beneficial effect on the local ecosystem.

The biomass of microbes on the island of decomposition of the corpse is significantly higher than in the surrounding area. Roundworms, attracted by the released nutrients, begin to multiply in this area, and its flora also becomes richer. Further research on exactly how rotting cadavers change the ecology around them may help to more effectively locate murder victims whose bodies were buried in shallow graves.

Another possible clue to establishing exact date death can give an analysis of the soil from the grave. A 2008 study of the biochemical changes taking place on a cadaveric decomposition island showed that the concentration of phospholipids in the fluid flowing from the body reaches its maximum at about 40 days after death, and nitrogen and phosphorus recovered - after 72 and 100 days, respectively. As we study these processes in more detail, perhaps in the future we will be able to determine exactly when the body was placed in a hidden grave by analyzing the biochemistry of the soil from the burial.

Incredible Facts

Many functions of our body continue to operate for minutes, hours, days and even weeks after death. It's hard to believe, but incredible things happen to our body.

If you are ready for some hard-hitting details, then this information is for you.

1. Growth of nails and hair

This is more of a technical rather than an actual feature. Not formed in the body more hair and nail tissues, but both continue to grow for several days after death. In fact, the skin loses moisture and pulls back slightly, which exposes more hair and makes nails appear longer. Since we measure the length of hair and nails from the point where the hairs emerge from the skin, technically they "grow" after death.

2. Brain activity

One of the side effects modern technology is the obliteration of time between life and death. The brain may completely shut down, but the heart will beat. If the heart stops for a minute and there is no breathing, then the person dies, and doctors declare the person dead, even when the brain is technically still alive for a few minutes. During this time, brain cells try to seek out oxygen and nutrients to sustain life to the extent that most often it results in irreparable damage, even if the heart is forced to beat again. These minutes before complete damage can be extended with the help of certain drugs and under the right circumstances, up to several days. Ideally, this would give doctors a chance to save you, but this is not guaranteed.

3. Growth of skin cells

This is another function of different parts of our body, which fades with different speed. While loss of blood circulation can kill the brain in minutes, other cells don't need a constant supply. Skin cells that live on outer shell our bodies are used to getting what they can through a process called osmosis and can live for days.

4. Urination

We believe that urination is an arbitrary function, although the absence of such is not a conscious action. In principle, we do not have to think about it, since a certain part of the brain is responsible for this function. The same area is involved in the regulation of breathing and heart rate, which explains why people often involuntarily urinate if they get drunk. The fact is that the part of the brain that keeps the urinary sphincter closed is suppressed, and very a large number of alcohol can turn off the regulation of respiratory and heart functions, and therefore alcohol can be really dangerous.

Although rigor mortis stiffens the muscles, this does not happen until several hours after death. Immediately after death, the muscles relax, which causes urination.

5. Defecation

We all know that during times of stress, our body gets rid of waste products. Just relax some muscles, and it happens awkward situation. But in the event of death, all this is also facilitated by the gas that is released inside the body. This can happen several hours after death. Given that the fetus in the womb also performs the act of defecation, we can say that this is the first and last thing that we do in our lives.

6. Digestion

7. Erection and ejaculation

When the heart stops pumping blood throughout the body, blood pools at its lowest point. Sometimes people die standing, sometimes lying face down, and therefore many people understand where blood can collect. Meanwhile, not all the muscles in our body relax. Some types of muscle cells are activated by calcium ions. Once activated, cells expend energy by extracting calcium ions. After death, our membranes become more permeable to calcium and the cells do not expend so much energy to push out the ions and the muscles contract. This leads to rigor mortis and even ejaculation.

8. Muscle movements

While the brain may die, other areas nervous system may be active. Nurses have repeatedly noticed the action of reflexes, in which the nerves sent a signal spinal cord, and not the head, which led to muscle twitches and spasms after death. There is even evidence of small breast movements after death.

9. Vocalization

Basically, our body is filled with gas and mucus backed up by our bones. Putrefaction occurs when bacteria begin to act, and the proportion of gases increases. Since most of the bacteria is inside our body, the gas accumulates inside.

Rigor mortis leads to stiffness of many muscles, including those that work on vocal cords, and the whole combination can lead to eerie sounds coming from a dead body. So there is evidence of how people heard the groans and creaks of dead people.

10. Having a baby

These creepy scenes don't even want to imagine, but there were times when women died during pregnancy and were not buried, which led to the emergence of a term called "posthumous expulsion of the fetus." The gases accumulating inside the body, combined with the softening of the flesh, lead to the expulsion of the fetus.

Although such cases are very rare and generate much speculation, they have been documented in the period before proper embalming and rapid burial. It all seems like a description from a horror movie, but these things really happen, and it makes us again be glad that we live in the modern world.

Death is a taboo subject for the vast majority normal people. The end of the road scares us so much that we have created countless religions and beliefs designed to comfort, calm, encourage ...

Unable to accept the final verdict, people cannot completely exclude death from their thoughts. The wisest thing, of course, is to adopt the ingenious saying of Epicurus. Stoick quite reasonably remarked: “While I am here, there is no death, and when it comes, I will no longer be.” But stoicism is for the few. For everyone else, we decided to write a concise, medically based guide to what happens to our bodies after death.

Almost immediately after the moment of death, the body starts several irreversible processes. It all starts with autolysis, roughly speaking, self-digestion. The heart no longer saturates the blood with oxygen - cells suffer from the same deficiency. Everything by-products chemical reactions do not receive the usual way of disposal, accumulating in the body. The liver and brain go first. The first because it is here that most enzymes are located, the second because it contains a large amount of water.

Color of the skin

Then comes the turn of other organs. The vessels are already destroyed, so that the blood, under the influence of gravity, goes down. Human skin becomes deathly pale. This is how popular culture presents the dead: remember the pale vampires and zombies attacking defenseless beauties from dark corners. If the directors tried to make the picture more believable, they would have to show that the rear of the dead aggressor is dark from the accumulated blood.

Room temperature

Nothing functions and the body temperature begins to gradually decrease. Cells do not receive the usual dose of energy, protein filaments become immobile. Joints and muscles acquire a new property - they become rigid. Then comes rigor mortis. Eyelids, jaws and cervical muscles give up at the very beginning, then the turn of everything else comes.

Who lives in the house

IN dead body there is no longer a person, but there is a completely new, cadaverous ecosystem. Actually, most of the bacteria that make it up lived in the body before. But now they begin to behave differently, in accordance with the changed conditions. We can say that life in our body continues - only our consciousness no longer has anything to do with this.

Molecular death

The decay of the human body is an unpleasant sight for most normal (and still living) individuals. Soft tissues break down into salts, liquids and gases. Everything is almost like in physics. This process is called molecular death. At this stage, decomposition bacteria continue their work.

Unpleasant details

The pressure of the gas in the body increases. Blisters form on the skin as the gas tries to escape. Entire patches of skin begin to slide off the body. Usually, all accumulated decomposition products find their natural way out - the anus and other openings. Sometimes the pressure of the gas increases so that it simply tears the stomach of the former person.

Return to the roots

But this process is not completed. Dead body lying on bare ground literally returns to nature. Its fluids drain into the soil, while insects carry bacteria around. Criminologists have a special term: "island of cadaveric decomposition." He describes a patch of soil generously, ahem, fertilized by a dead body.

Many prefer not to think about what happens to the body in the coffin. It so happened that in our community the topic of death is forbidden, they prefer not to raise it, and if life circumstances force them to talk about it as little as possible and in the most courteous terms. It is completely unethical to declare directly, for example, about rotting, although, due to the education received, most of our fellow citizens are well aware that such processes occur with a body placed in the ground. However, in the coffin there may simply be ashes left after cremation. In such a situation, organic processes will be somewhat different, proceeding differently than during the burial of ordinary remains. On the other hand, usually the ashes of a cremated person are preserved in very different ways.

What awaits us?

Opinions regarding what happens to the body in the coffin vary significantly - much depends on which religious branch a particular person belongs to. Many, for example, believe in resurrection, so they are convinced that nothing bad happens to the bodies - they are waiting in the wings. Others believe that an apocalyptic situation is possible, when the dead will rise from their graves and unleash their wrath on the living. For such a faith, the idea of ​​complete decomposition of the body is also poorly suited - after all, someone (something) needs to get up.

Religions, philosophies, rituals and traditions have long tried to give a person an idea of ​​​​what happens after death - and all this for the simple reason that such a transition frightens most people. It is because of this that the topic of death is so carefully avoided in society, and even more so they do not talk about how the human body decomposes. It is considered categorically unethical, ill-mannered, and even very ugly behavior, if someone died close person. The very idea of ​​decomposing the remains of someone we loved so much is not only frustrating, but insulting.

And do not accept, and do not forget

Despite such great difficulties traditionally associated with the perception of the moment of death, a person still cannot leave reasoning, reflections associated with the transition from life to non-existence. Of course, Epicurus expressed himself very wisely on this score in his time, answering that there is no death while he is alive, and upon her arrival he will no longer be, which means there is nothing to fear. At the same time, this idea is not very compatible with beliefs in the transmigration of souls, the afterlife and other forms of future existence. human essence, therefore, far from everyone is ready to accept Epicurean statements, and the fate of the coffin in the earth sincerely worries many, many. Surprisingly, many are afraid to admit their interest, considering it shameful.

How it all starts

As soon as life stops, irreversible changes start in the body. organic reactions. The first among them, as doctors say, autolysis starts, in other words, self-digestion of one's own cells. Doctors have repeatedly studied what happens to the human body after death, so they found that negative processes are primarily due to lack of oxygen. As soon as death occurs, the blood is no longer saturated with this essential component, which leads to serious damage to living cells.

Chemical reactions occurring in the human body become sources of toxic compounds. In life internal organs effectively remove such organic matter, producing high-quality cleaning. Considering what happens to the human body after death, it must be remembered: there is no more blood flow, no more organ activity, due to which toxic components could be removed from living cells, therefore, instead of utilization, accumulation is observed. The brain and liver are the first to suffer from such negative processes. This is due to the high water content in the structures of the main organ of the nervous system, and the liver is rich in active enzymes.

Won't go unnoticed

If changes in the structure of the brain and liver occur inside the body and remain invisible to an external observer, then the next step, if it was not decided to cremate a person in a timely manner, can be observed with your own eyes - the skin is changing. The shade becomes pale, it is usually described as “dead”, it will be so characteristic in such a situation.

The process is explained quite simply. Since the internal systems are destroyed, the vessels also lose their functionality. In such a situation, the blood gradually goes down in the direction of the person's location relative to the surface of the earth, which is due to the influence of gravity. By the way, it's no secret to anyone what happens to the body in the coffin, so in popular culture the revived dead are usually portrayed just like that pale. These are both vampires and zombies in films, books and games. Dwelling in dark corners, afraid of the light, the "dead" are ready to pounce on the living, whose blood is still warm and full. However, in films, usually the heroes of the “other world” are uniformly light, but in reality the body is with back side takes on a dark hue, as blood accumulates here.

No heat

Perhaps this element of the processes that occur with the human body in the coffin is also very well served in popular culture: the deceased person becomes cold. This is due to the inability to function internal systems and organs. Under the influence of stagnant processes, the absence of energy generation reactions, the temperature decreases. The process is not instantaneous, but inevitable. Cells do not receive necessary nutrition, including energy, due to which the threads of protein compounds become static. This leads to hardening of the muscle tissue, it becomes rigid. Joints change in the same way. In medicine, this stage is called rigor mortis.

If the cremation of a person was not organized in a timely manner, you can notice the processes first of all in the face. The first changes are reflected in the eyelids of the deceased, in the state of the jaws. Next step - muscle neck. Gradually, this process covers the entire body.

A holy place is never empty

Considering what happens to the body of the deceased in the coffin, it is necessary to understand that the person himself as such is no longer here. This is just a set of organic tissues, which is completely subject to the laws of our world, namely: living organisms can use everything that is on the planet to provide themselves with the opportunity to live longer. This also applies to the bodies of dead people.

While a person is alive, internal organs produce various components that do not allow microbes and viruses to multiply inside. After death this protective system loses working capacity, therefore, a new ecological system soon develops - it is due to it that the body rots. Many bacteria whose growth is activated are also present in a living organism, but their colonies are strictly controlled. immune cells, but after death for microscopic life comes a real expanse. In fact, the body is still alive, but has no consciousness. This is one of the most characteristic features organic life on our planet, where absolutely empty space cannot remain, if it is at least to some extent suitable for habitation. The human body is organic matter rich in nutrients, so there is certainly a "holy place", even if the fellow tribesmen of the deceased are offended by such behavior of microscopic organisms with disrespect for the memory of the deceased.

Molecular death

For your own sake mental health you should not open the coffin standing in the crypt: you can thereby give yourself the opportunity to contemplate one of the most unaesthetic, unpleasant (and, by the way, dangerous to the health of the living) stage of decomposition - molecular death. By the way, as studies have shown, for the most part, in living people, the picture of post-mortem decomposition is disgusting, and the absence of such a reaction in modern medicine regarded as a pathological response to external factor. This is due defensive reactions organism: since ancient times it has been known that decomposed bodies are dangerous, can become a source of infection, provoke epidemics of terrible diseases. On a subconscious level, humanity as a species has developed a defense against such a threat in the form of aversion to the process of decomposition.

However, even if we ignore the attempts to survive as a species, just to see what happens to the body in the coffin, you still have to admit that the picture is rather unaesthetic. Before soft tissues over time, they turn into a mixture of gaseous substances, liquids and salt deposits. In many ways, the process is due to the activity of microscopic life forms.

Step by step

If you look at the body in the coffin a year later, you can see some remnants of soft tissues, still decomposing under the influence of microflora, but the decay process itself is completed by this moment. But if you have to get acquainted with the corpse earlier, the picture will be frankly not pleasant. First, the pressure of gaseous masses builds up in the body, which leads to the formation of blisters on the skin- air tries to escape outer space. Under the influence of such processes and the decomposition itself, the patches of integument are gradually separated from the body, and the results of the processes leave what was previously a living organism. Cases are known when high blood pressure led to a small explosion inside the body of a deceased person. In such a situation, the abdominal region is the first to suffer.

Return to the roots

At first, all these processes proceed very intensively and actively, but over time, the volumes of organic matter available for processing are significantly reduced, which leads to a slowdown in chemical reactions. The remains return to where we came from - to nature. The liquid gradually penetrates into the soil, the bacteria find new carriers - insects. Criminalists in their working practice use the term "island". It is to them that they describe the area where it was buried human body- Gradually, there are practically no traces of it, only the soil seems to be improved with rich organic fertilizer. By analyzing it chemical composition you can determine what exactly was here before.

Not everything goes according to plan

There are situations when processes do not proceed at all as described above. Conservation is possible. Many believe that this is more typical of the last decades, the development of industry, the saturation of the tissues of the human body with chemical components - however, this opinion is disputed by no fewer people than there are those who agree with it. There are several ways to save the body of a deceased person:

• mummification;
• fatty wax;
• tanning with peat;
• freezing.

How and why?

The specific process is determined by the conditions. The traditions of some localities are known, when people during their lifetime took measures to preserve their bodies. For example, the sokushinbutsu monks did just such a practice: first they adhered to a strict diet, and then walled themselves up high in the mountains. However, now this practice is recognized as tough and officially banned. Curiously, despite numerous difficulties, only very few of the fanatics of this religious trend achieved real success. The majority, in spite of everything Taken measures(eating roots, refusing liquid), natural laws turned out to be stronger, therefore, after death, quite ordinary organic decomposition is observed in accordance with the laws of our world.

The name of the last Japanese monk who successfully followed this idea was Tetsuryukai. Interestingly, he became a "Buddha in the flesh" after the introduction of the imperial ban on such a sophisticated form of suicide, but loyal followers were able to present the case in such a way that no one violated the laws. To this day, the mummy of this monk can be seen in one of the Japanese temples in Nangaku.

What happens to a body in a coffin in a regular cemetery?

When a person is buried according to our traditions, the body in the coffin goes to the cemetery. In contrast to the sophisticated methods of preserving organic tissues, everything happens exactly the opposite here: what used to be a person is at the mercy of numerous small organisms that live in the thickness of the earth. Mechanical influence, in other words, the absorption of tissues - this is the area of ​​\u200b\u200bresponsibility for mold fungi, nematodes, maggots, which eat "treats" with pleasure.

Patterns of this world

Decomposition occurs most rapidly under conditions elevated temperature, in water the process takes a little longer, the slowest is underground. It was developed special rule Casper, dedicated to the ratio of terms: a week on outdoors corresponds to two weeks of decomposition in water and two months - in the thickness of the earth.