title: Grading rigor mortis with myotonometry--a new possibility to estimate time of death.
abstract: Myotonometry has been applied to grade rigor mortis. The myotonometer is a hand-held instrument which gives a mechanical impact against the muscle. The muscle responds with a damped vibration which is registered and treated mathematically. The period and the logarithmic decrement of decay of the vibrations were found to change with the development of rigor mortis. The method gives quantitative information on the muscular stiffness and it can be used when estimating the time of death.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Electroluminescence and Semiconductors, Tartu University, Estonia, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vain
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kauppila
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Humal
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vuori
mesh_terms: D003643:Death; D006801:Humans; D012298:Rigor Mortis / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors