Most of the discussion concerning the definitions of death belongs to the field of legal medicine and

even that of ethics, rather than forensic pathology. Notwithstanding this, a quick review of this complex
problem is appropriate here, as when we come to describe the various post-mortem phenomena, some
appreciation is necessary of the zero point from which such changes are timed. Types of death

It is conventional to describe two types of death: ■ Somatic death, in which the person irreversibly loses
sentient personality, being unconscious, unable to be aware of (or to communicate with) their
environment, and unable to appreciate any sensory stimuli or to initiate any voluntary movement.
Reflex nervous activity may, however, persist, and circulatory and respiratory functions continue either
spontaneously or with artificial support so that the tissues and cells of the body, other than those
already damaged in the central nervous system (CNS), are alive and functioning. ■ Cellular death, in
which the tissues and their constituent cells are dead – that is, they no longer function or have
metabolic activity, primarily aerobic respiration.

Cellular death follows the ischaemia and anoxia inevitably consequent upon cardiorespiratory failure,
but it is a process rather than an event, except in the exceptionally rare circumstance of almost
instantaneous total bodily destruction, such as falling into molten metal or a nuclear explosion. Even
fragmentation of a body by a bomb does not kill all cells instantly. Different tissues die at different rates,
the cerebral cortex being vulnerable to only a few minutes’ anoxia, whereas connective tissues and even
muscle survive for many hours, even days after the cessation of the circulation.