the body is cut, sliced, anything you can do to a body is done. its lying on the ground, in a chilly night. explain how long it will take for it to smell. enough odor to make you feel like the stinch is engulfing all the oxygen around yoou and you're inhaling the foul smell. (sorry for the graphics, its for a book I'm writing)?
2007-02-12 06:29:34 · 7 answers · asked by teardrop 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Respiratory Diseases
Like the others said, it depends on the temperature, and other environmental conditions.
For example, a body will decompose twice as fast in the air than in water, and four times as fast as being underground. Though, they are preserved longer the deeper they are buried, provided the ground isn't waterlogged.
According to a BBC article,
"The decomposing tissues release green substances and gas, which make the skin green/blue and blistered, starting on the abdomen. The front of the body swells, the tongue may protrude, and fluid from the lungs oozes out of the mouth and nostrils.
This unpleasant sight is added to by a terrible smell as gases such as hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell), methane and traces of mercaptans are released. This stage is reached in temperate countries after about four to six days, much faster in the tropics and slower in cold or dry conditions.
A corpse left above ground is then rapidly broken down by insects and animals, including bluebottles and carrion fly maggots, followed by beetles, ants and wasps.
In the tropics, a corpse can become a moving mass of maggots within 24 hours.
If there are no animals to destroy the body, hair, nails and teeth become detached within a few weeks, and after a month or so the tissues become liquefied and the main body cavities burst open."
In a coffin, I believe it takes 10 years for the flesh to rot away completely, but it takes 40-50 years for the bones to become dry and brittle.
2007-02-12 06:42:21 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Maul 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the temp. In order for a body to begin to smell it has to be aloud to rot. This wont happen until it is warn enough
once the sun comes out it will start to decay and in turn start to smell
2007-02-12 06:39:24 · answer #2 · answered by larry b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm going to guess between two days and a week, if it's not freezing (in the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, his sister was worried that there would be a smell by day four).
2007-02-12 06:33:47 · answer #3 · answered by catintrepid 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, let's see. The last time I left a chopped up corpse out in the cold...
Seriously, it would depend on the temperature. Just think of your fridge. Meat in the freezer will last indefinitely. Above 40 degrees, a few days.
2007-02-12 06:36:00 · answer #4 · answered by chieromancer 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure it's for a book and you didn't murder someone? If it's cold, it would take longer, but i'd say within a couple days, maybe more
2007-02-12 06:33:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on different factors, the most important of which being temperature.
2007-02-12 06:33:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are writing a book, I suggest you take some grammar lessons.
2007-02-12 07:47:32 · answer #7 · answered by juneaulady 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋