I was having a discussion with my mother about it after having watched CSI, and I'm curious... How long does it take before a dead body goes cold and loses its body heat usually?
2007-02-27 09:32:22 · 5 answers · asked by Dianne N 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
This is dependent on the size of the person. After the heart stops beating, the profusion of blood stops, and the body immediatly begins to go cold. In my experience, you are able to detect a difference between the temperature of your hands and the temperature of the patient within 10 minutes of CPR (which still profuses some blood to the peripheral tissue). If you are asking how much time it takes for the body to come into equilibrium with the sourrounding temperature, I would estimate around an hour. But the body would feel cold to the touch within 10-15 minutes.
2007-02-27 09:46:23 · answer #1 · answered by jason e 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The body cools at 1.5 degrees per hour until it reaches the surrounding ambient temperature. I.E., If the body is 97 degrees, they have been dead for approximately an hour.
2007-02-28 08:54:48 · answer #2 · answered by Reagan 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
By cold, I assume you mean the ambient temperature. Well, it depends on the ambient temperature and how exposed the corpse is. But it would be safe to say that it takes hours not days.
2007-02-27 17:41:15 · answer #3 · answered by misoma5 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would assume you could use Newton's Law of Cooling.
Link to the a explanation of Newton's Law of Cooling:
http://www.ugrad.math.ubc.ca/coursedoc/math100/notes/diffeqs/cool.html
2007-02-27 17:37:59 · answer #4 · answered by Dean S 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
about 12 hours
2007-02-27 17:40:48 · answer #5 · answered by tanks_girl02 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋