title: [Methane in cadaver blood--homicide by natural gas or postmortem formation?].
abstract: A man had a quarrel with his wife. Suddenly he collapsed and became cyanotic. The woman supposed him to be dead. Because she was afraid of familiar requital, she opened the gas-cock of the cooking-range to pretend a suicide; methane emitted. The autopsy revealed a fresh cardiac infarction. Postmortem chemical analysis established methane in the blood. The question was, whether the methane had any importance for the death. By experimental inhalation of a methane-air-mixture (3%) we could expose, that the methane concentration in postmortem blood didn't have any relevance for the death.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Rechtsmedizin am Kantonsspital St. Gallen.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sigrist
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Germann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005739:Gas Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008697:Methane / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000506:poisoning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011180:Postmortem Changes
chemical_list: D008697:Methane
vernacular_title: Methan im Leichenblut--Tötung durch Erdgas oder postmortale Neubildung?