How long does it take your body to decompose after you die?

Question

You know, after it's been embalmed, you've had the funeral and it's been put in the casket laid to rest in the dirt, how long does it take until it starts to decay? And what happens to your eyes and tongue and stuff like that?

Answer 1

Believe it or not, decomposition begins as soon as you die; it starts deep into the digestive system, where the intestinal flora [bacteria that live in our intestines and that are crucial for the proper functioning of the gut] begin to multiply exponentially and to feed on your internal organs, the same organs they helped protect when you were alive. This process is called autolysis and it begins as the dead body begins to cool off, a few minutes after death. The external signs of putrefaction [bloating, marbling of the skin tissue, swollen and protruding tongue, seepage of fluids from every imaginable orifice, odor of rotting meat] may start to show as soon as a few hours after death, depending greatly on the environmental factors surrounding the corpse. In general, a corpse lying out in the open and exposed to high temperatures and humidity can become completely skeletonized in as few as 10 days to a month, at the most. Areas of the body which have sustained injury or trauma decompose much more rapidly than those which are not injured. However, a corpse that's been carefully embalmed, put into a sealed casket and interred in a place where there's little moisture can be exhumed and still be nearly intact several months or even years after the demise.

The following is a copy/paste of an article called "The 26 Stages of Death", the original of which is located at http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com

Moment of Death:
1} The heart stops
2} The skin gets tight and grey in color
3} All the muscles relax
4} The bladder and bowels empty
5} The body's temperature will typically drop 1.5 degrees F. per hour unless outside environment is a factor. The liver is the organ that stays warmest the longest, and this temperature is used to establish time of death if the body is found within that time frame.
After 30 minutes:
6} The skin gets purple and waxy
7} The lips, finger- and toe nails fade to a pale color or turn white as the blood leaves.
8} Blood pools at the lowest parts of the body leaving a dark purple-black stain called lividity
9} The hands and feet turn blue {because of lack of oxygenation to the tissues}
10} The eyes start to sink into the skull
After 4 hours:
11} Rigor mortis starts to set in
12} The purpling of the skin and pooling of blood continue
13} Rigor Mortis begins to tighten the muscles for about another 24 hours, then will reverse and the body will return to a limp state.
After 12 hours:
14} The body is in full rigor mortis.
After 24 hours:
15} The body is now the temperature of the surrounding environment
16} In males, the spermatozoa die.
17} The head and neck are now a greenish-blue color
18} The greenish-blue color continues to spread to the rest of the body
19} There is the strong smell of rotting meat {unless the corpse is in an extremelly frigid environment}
20} The face of the person is essentially no longer recognizable
After 3 days:
21} The gases in the body tissues form large blisters on the skin
22} The whole body begins to bloat and swell grotesquely. This process is speeded up if victim is in a hot environment, or in water
23} Fluids leak from the mouth, nose, eyes, ears and rectum and urinary opening
After 3 weeks:
24} The skin, hair, and nails are so loose they can be easily pulled off the corpse
25} The skin cracks and bursts open in many places because of the pressure of Internal gases and the breakdown of the skin itself
26} Decomposition will continue until body is nothing but skeletal remains, which can take as little as a month in hot climates and two months in cold climates. The teeth are often the only thing left, years and centuries later, because tooth enamel is the strongest substance in the body. The jawbone is the densest, so that usually will also remain.


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For more detailed information on the process of decomposition of the human body after death, go to the following links:

Human decomposition after death
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/decompostionafterdeath.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_doctor/death_body.shtml

Beyond the grave - understanding human decomposition (PDF 74k)
http://www.sgm.ac.uk/pubs/micro_today/pdf/110108.pdf

Answer 2

You know, there are a LOT of factors that come into play when someone pases away that will determine how long it will take for them to decompose. I know this isn't the kind of answer you would have hoped for, but there are a lot of scientific factors to take into consideration... The morgue may not have allowed you to see your mother in law because she may have died and not been found for a day or two, which would expedite the beginning stages of decomposition. Decomposition startes IMMEDIATELY following death, and then the other stages become present. The first being the mortises: Rigor (stiffness), algor mortis, and pallor mortis, which is more or less a color loss...The blood sinks to the lowest tissues of the body, mostly collecting in the thighs/buttocks where the person was lying when they passed...Theoretically, depending on cause of death, temperature, presence of insects or carrion feeders, length of time exposed to elements, etc a body can last anywhere from a few days to a few years in an unembalmed setting... There was probably some discoloration and odor that the morgue staff did not want to expose you to. The funeral home staff will be able to take care of this, as the body is kept in refrigeration in the interim before embalming, and they have very gifted staff that cosmetize the deceased and make sure they look as they did in life... When they are embalmed, the body will hold for quite some time...There have been instances where bodies have held over hundreds of years. The mummies of Ancient Egypt come to mind in this topic, but that is a different process.... I hope this helps, and I am sorry for your loss.

Answer 3

Body Decomposition After Burial

Answer 4

The human body starts to decompose as soon as death occurs. The temperature of the body actually rises at death, which sets decomposition into motion. One hour after death, bacteria from the intestines are released.

Left outside in warm or hot weather, an adult corpse typically becomes a skeleton in two to four weeks. Burying an adult corpse without a coffin in a shallow grave, one or two feet deep, will stretch out the process to a few months or a year. An adult corpse without a coffin buried six feet deep will usually take five to ten years to turn into a skeleton.

Modern graves that are opened usually contain remains of some kind. Healing and his colleagues describe the contents of modern coffins that have been unearthed for various reasons:

The degree of preservation of a cadaver cannot be predicted by the type of coffin used or the location of the interment. Completely preserved bodies have been found in wooden coffins buried in the ground and completely decayed bodies in apparently intact lead coffins in crypts. Most lead coffins contain dry bones but some are found to be about one third full of a viscous black liquid (coffin liquor), which contains bones and (sometimes) soft tissues.

Embalming can delay the process of decomposition for undetermined amounts of time.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How long does it take your body to decompose after you die?
You know, after it's been embalmed, you've had the funeral and it's been put in the casket laid to rest in the dirt, how long does it take until it starts to decay? And what happens to your eyes and tongue and stuff like that?

Answer 6

The whole idea of embalming is to prevent decomposition. A properly embalmed body can last for years especially if it is buried in a sealed casket.

Answer 7

iam wonder about life&death.after iread this article,nothing worth in this life .hell with money,hell with all kinds of pleasure. I am depressed now.iwish if iwasnot born.irealized now that the soul who makes the body beautiful,other wise the body is stinking corps,just like we eat good lovely meal,then after 3hours we fled from the toilet from it,s smell.

Answer 8

1 week

Answer 9

how long does it take for the eye for actually decay?

Answer 10

it also depends on how large and tall you are the smaller you are the less time it takes