after death i heard that the body swells up and eventually bursts. Does a dead body swell up in a coffin and burst in it? How long does this take before a body becomes a skeleton?
2006-08-14 07:06:36 · 14 answers · asked by puppet 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
yes it does swell up with the fluids in the body, but these are mostly drained in the morgue. They bodies go all hard like wood. They are embalmed to preserve them for a few days to a week before they are buried so they dont smell. It takes about 2-5 years i'd say for it to decompose although it starts to decompose probably a few weeks after death.
2006-08-14 07:23:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think this happens with all bodies. It's quite often that there is a release of pressure, so muscles that we normally keep contracted without really noticing will relax. So after death it's quite common for bowels to empty and so on. However I don't think the body tends to swell up and burst. They tend to swell in water, but I don't think they burst. And the rate of a body decomposing to just become a skeleton is dependent upon its conditions. Cells in the body tend to have a life expectancy of about 120 days. After this time, and partly during, they are in the process of duplicating to create new cells. So I presume the body starts decomposing almost straight away but the rate is dependent upon external conditions. However, I read somewhere, can't quite remember the source, that it takes seven years for every cell in the body to be disposed of and replaced, so it may take seven years for the body to decompose to become a skeleton, if it hasn't been embalmed.
2006-08-14 14:27:16 · answer #2 · answered by Katri-Mills 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Eventually the body cavities become liquified and burst open, but its not like the body itself explodes. the body becomes a skeleton within a year, depending on the conditions but it can take 40 to 50 years for the bones to become dry and brittle in a coffin
2006-08-14 14:15:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, sorry, no bursting... lol. About the decomposition, this is a hard one to answer because you have to consider all factors. It depends on surroundings, temperature ect.... For example, a body can last years frozen but it could last just days in hot weather... In a coffin, temperature is also a factor but I don't think you'll freeze in a coffin...
2006-08-14 15:05:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They empty the body to make sure it doesn't swell up, it depends on temperature how long it takes to become a skeleton months or years
2006-08-14 14:14:34 · answer #5 · answered by boer84 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this process usually takes place before the body is prepared, and put into a coffin.
I am not sure on how long it takes, but i would venture a guess of about 3 -5 years for total decomp.
2006-08-14 14:12:40 · answer #6 · answered by Shake-Zula 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you are referring to is the process of "putrification." Since modern day embalming methods this process has become drastically retarded... but if you bury a pet rabbit in March there'll be only bones by August... a lot has to do with the heat, soil type, amount of moisture, and a number of other factors.
2006-08-14 14:24:48 · answer #7 · answered by cherodman4u 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, since they embalm people, this process is slowed down GREATLY. Can dig a person up who was embalmed 40years ago, and look like the day they died.
But, without the embalming, it depends on the environment. heat, type of casket, etc.
2006-08-14 14:11:34 · answer #8 · answered by WhiteHat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You get preserved a little bit, or something like that, so no it doesn't happen in a coffin.
Yeah like the person above said, you get embalmed. I couldn't remember the word!
2006-08-14 14:11:41 · answer #9 · answered by * 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one time they dug up a guy over 30 years later and the guy looked the same way that they buried him.
2006-08-14 14:21:41 · answer #10 · answered by mack j 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋