[Unilateral occurrence of blowfly maggots in the face of a decomposing body].
The corpse of a 41-year-old medical doctor was found in his bed. The body was partially dried out; parts of the hip region were skeletonized due to maggot activity. In the facial region of the corpse, blowfly maggots (Lucilia (Phaenicia) sericata [Meigen]) were found exclusively in one eye socket. This is an unusual occurrence since on that side, a bedlight (40 W light bulb) had been burning during the seven week post mortem interval. All other lights in the apartment were switched off, and no direct sunlight could enter the space where the body was found (only a TV set had been running all the time, ca. 2 m away from the head at the foot end of the bed). Obviously, the maggots who usually flee light had used up the one eye that was further away from the bedlight as a feeding source. Since the continuing mummification of the corpse led to a substantial restriction of feeding material, the maggots finally switched to the eye that the light was shining on.
Benecke
M
M
D000328:Adult; D005145:Face / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009198:Myiasis / Q000473:pathology*; D011180:Postmortem Changes