Considering the fact that a dead bidy will rot after some time, why is it that a live body does not rot?

Question

Please explain what biological difference there is between a cadaver and a living person or animal. What processes keep a living body from beginning to decompose? What is missing in a dead body to prevent it from rotting?

Answer 1

Blood and oxygen circulation keep cells alive. Also keeps new cells forming to replace the dead ones

Answer 2

Life.

A living body, animal or human, has parts that are dying all of the time. The important thing is that there are cells that replace them and the bulk of cells are sustaining their lives. If you have something such as a disease or injury that cuts off the blood flow and its corresponding chemical exchanges, that part of the body will indeed die while the rest of the body continues to live. One of the original Siamese twins, that popularized the oddity over a century ago, died before the other. It was the strain and toxic shock of the dead and decaying brother that eventually killed the surviving brother over a week later. When your cells cannot gain new oxygen and dump its carbon dioxide, or gain nutrients or dump its waste products, then the cell will die. Some will shut down and go dormant for a time, but without new nutrients the hibernation effect will fail. When the cell dies it falls apart--it rots. When enough of them die, then tissue pieces of organs die, then organs die, then the body dies. It technically doesn't happen in an instant, like when the heart stops. But when major organs such has heart, lungs, and brain die, then the body is essentially done. Before that, however, cells are being replaced continuously.

Answer 3

Well, when the body dies, it stops breathing, eating and drinking, and it also stops getting rid of waste. This causes the individual cells that make up the body to die.

Eventually, all of the cells die, but some of the first ones that die are the brain cells, the cells in various glands, and the white blood cells. The brain, and glands of a living body tell the body how to fight off diseases. the white blood cells do most of the work in fighting off diseases.

Inside the body there are various single celled organisms. Some of them die when the body dies, but others are tougher. Some are in the food of the body, and would have died if digestion had not stopped. The tougher fungus and bacteria types continue to live in the body, eating the body itself, and producing more waste, known as "rot," and "stench." The body no longer moves, so multicellular fungus like mushrooms and toadstools can start to spread, and multicellular insects can feed on the body, and spread other single celled organisms to the body that speed up the decay.

So, what is missing in a dead body? simply put, it's a supply of energy, and the organism's self defense mechanisms. Without that, the corpse is no good to itself, and becomes food to the lesser organisms.

Answer 4

A live body has living cells that reproduce to replace dead cells, and blood circulating to keep the cells alive, and an immune system to fight organisms that cause disease and rot. We don't live forever because these systems are not perfect, but they are good enough for most people to live 70 years or more.

Answer 5

The difference is in that the cells in the body are receiving blood that brings oxygen to the body. Oxygen keeps us alive. When someone dies in the world today, most people are embalmed, removing the blood and replacing it with embalming fluid. That retards decay.

Answer 6

When our cells are dead they are replenished by our living organs, but when our organs stops, no cells will be replenished then you know that you're dead. But don't worry, when you know that you're dead you will not feel anything.
Who says that living beings do not decay or rot?
Ex: leprosy, diabetes, gangrene etc.
Bad influence rots your mind, take care.

Answer 7

probably has something to do with the oxygen and H20 that we take in when we are alive (keeping our bodies living) and not when we are dead. No oxygen--> kills cells --> dead cells rot.

That's just a guess if I had to make one.

Answer 8

i don't know what the process is called but if that process is disrupted in a living body then it will rot - gangrene is an example, a bad tooth is another

Answer 9

our bodies decompose once the organs stop working, the cells die once there isn't fresh blood going through

Answer 10

oxygen, heart beat , blood flow, if you are living your tissues are constantly renewed, when you are dead it all rots. such is life