Rectal temperature time of death nomogram: sudden change of ambient temperature.
Cooling experiments on dummies known as body-like cooling were performed with sudden decrease and increase of ambient temperature in the order of 15 degrees C. In the case of a sudden decrease of ambient temperature, a second 'temperature plateau' occurs which is shorter than the known plateau at the beginning of body cooling. The cooling curves can be described mathematically by a three-step procedure based on the two-exponential term of the 'nomogram method'. The second plateau at the beginning of the second cooling phase in sudden decreased ambient temperature requires a lower value of the constant A (1.15) compared with the known value (1.25) at the beginning of body cooling. In the case of a sudden increase of ambient temperature in the order of 15 degrees C no procedure could be found to model the cooling curves mathematically.
Althaus
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Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Universität Essen, Germany.
Henssge
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D000388:Air; D001344:Autopsy; D015982:Bias; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D003643:Death; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D008348:Manikins; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012987:Soil; D013696:Temperature; D013995:Time
D012987:Soil