Rigor Mortis
The term rigor stems from the Latin term meaning stiffness. Mortis stems from the Latin term meaning death. Upon death, respiration ceases to occur. Without oxygen, metabolism stops, organs shut down. The body’s main source of energy is the cell production of ATP. Wikipedia’s definition:” Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism”.
Muscles are packed with multinucleated striated cells that continuously break down and rebuild muscle tissue, like recycling. The result of this recycling is ongoing high levels of ATP metabolized in the muscle tissue. ATP is responsible for the release/relaxation of a flexed muscle. Opposing ATP are calcium ions responsible for muscle flexion. These two opposing chemical release factors are what maintain continuous homeostasis of the muscular system. Upon death, production of ATP ceases to exist and Calcium ions exit the body through diffusion out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, causing the muscles to contract into their resting state.
Rigor mortis …show more content…
Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity play a role in approximate time of death. If a person dies in outside in the cold, rigor mortis can last for days. If the body has a large amount of adipose tissue, which acts like an insulator, rigor mortis develops less quickly. In a frail elderly person this onset would happen quickly. If the person at the time of death were engaged in a strenuous activity rigor mortis will immediately set in as seen in drownings or violent deaths. This event is referred to as cadavaric spasm. Investigators use the stages of rigor mortis as a clue to determine time of death. Without an eyewitness, time of death is estimated by many factors not just rigor
The term rigor stems from the Latin term meaning stiffness. Mortis stems from the Latin term meaning death. Upon death, respiration ceases to occur. Without oxygen, metabolism stops, organs shut down. The body’s main source of energy is the cell production of ATP. Wikipedia’s definition:” Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme often called the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism”.
Muscles are packed with multinucleated striated cells that continuously break down and rebuild muscle tissue, like recycling. The result of this recycling is ongoing high levels of ATP metabolized in the muscle tissue. ATP is responsible for the release/relaxation of a flexed muscle. Opposing ATP are calcium ions responsible for muscle flexion. These two opposing chemical release factors are what maintain continuous homeostasis of the muscular system. Upon death, production of ATP ceases to exist and Calcium ions exit the body through diffusion out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, causing the muscles to contract into their resting state.
Rigor mortis …show more content…
Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity play a role in approximate time of death. If a person dies in outside in the cold, rigor mortis can last for days. If the body has a large amount of adipose tissue, which acts like an insulator, rigor mortis develops less quickly. In a frail elderly person this onset would happen quickly. If the person at the time of death were engaged in a strenuous activity rigor mortis will immediately set in as seen in drownings or violent deaths. This event is referred to as cadavaric spasm. Investigators use the stages of rigor mortis as a clue to determine time of death. Without an eyewitness, time of death is estimated by many factors not just rigor