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| Hopetoun Quarry |
Some of what may be discussed on Tuesdays are a bit gruesome. If you have a queasy stomach, you may want to skip some posts... this one included. I will NEVER show pictures of dead bodies on this blog.Adipocere (also known as corpse, grave or mortuary wax) is a wax-like organic substance formed by the anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis of fat in tissue, such as body fat in corpses. In its formation, putrefaction is replaced by a permanent firm cast of fatty tissues, internal organs and the face.
The transformation of fats into adipocere occurs best in the absence of oxygen in a cold and humid environment, such as in wet ground or mud at the bottom of a lake or a sealed casket, and it can occur with both embalmed and untreated bodies. Adipocere formation begins within a month of death, and in the absence of air it can persist for centuries. An exposed, infested body or a body in a warm environment is unlikely to form deposits of adipocere.
Corpses of women, infants and overweight persons are particularly prone to adipocere transformation because they contain more body fat. In forensic science, the utility of adipocere formation to estimate the postmortem interval is limited because the speed of the process is temperature-dependent. It is accelerated by warmth, but temperature extremes impede it.
When a corpse is exposed to insects, however, adipocere probably will not be formed, as body decomposition will be much faster because of the insects' action. Animal scavenging of a dead body will also prevent adipocere formation.
Case study: Hopetoun Quarry Murders
Sources: Wikipedia and World of Forensic Science
Ewwwww! Clarissa! I'm just about to eat dinner! I know, you did warn me. I couldn't resist.
ReplyDeleteClarissa - This is really useful!!! I admit, my mysteries are not forensically detailed, but it really helps to have this information. I like to read and write mysteries that are actually realistic, and this helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read Sir Sydney Smith's Mostly Murder? He was one of the world's top medico-legal experts during the first part of the 20th Century, and this book is a memoir of some of his cases. Fascinating, but there is much less restraint on the pictures, so be warned... Also Keith Simpson's Forty Years of Murder. Another excellent resource. Both of these are dated, of course, but really helpful and interesting.
Talli, well, at least I didn't post any of the absolutely disgusting photos I saw when doing research.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I havent read either of those but I do have many good books. I will look at the books you mentioned though.
CD
...ew..but now i know
ReplyDeleteI have actually had the dubious pleasure of seeing a body exposed to that (at least I think that was what it was, judging from your description). In a museum I visited once they had a body they had found in a marsh. It was all waxy and compressed, and hardly looked like a human beng at all. It was disgusting and interesting at the same time (much like the above post, hee hee).
ReplyDeleteI'm no mystery writer, but I am becoming quite fond of your forensic science guide!
Nicole, now you know something that you know you never want to see.
ReplyDeleteCruella, yes, they had a exhibition of mummies and yes, some of them had that. Interesting.
CD
I watch CSI - your descriptions do not gross me out, I promise!
ReplyDeleteHaven seen bodies that fit this description, the one thing that you didn't mention - the smell. Something that you never forget and can't describe (or at least I can't).
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your Tuesday post, most informative.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
This information is bizarre, but I know it's going to stay in my mind until I use it in a novel. Your Tuesday forensics may prove very useful.
ReplyDeleteI like these posts - I write mystery and suspense. There's an award for you Under the Tiki Hut.
ReplyDeleteAlex, yeah, with all the crime scene dramas, we're getting used to the gruesomeness.
ReplyDeleteMason, I didn't mention the smell. I'm sure it's nasty.
Patricia, that's great to know. I don't know if I'll use it in any of my books but it's nice to know it's here.
Carol, thanks. I'll check it out.
CD
I keep learning new stuff everyday. Wonder if I'll ever have use for this in a novel?
ReplyDelete