Originally posted by The Baron
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Sudden Haemorrhaging.
Excessive Bleeding.
Malnourished Victim.
Wasting disease (TB)
Annie’s death was list of ticked boxes for early onset Rigor. This is why experts tell us that it’s not a reliable method. You’re quote achieves nothing I’m afraid. It’s a very general statement. For more specific opinions on the viability of using Rigor to estimate TOD I won’t apologise for reminding you of the following:
This is from Francis Camps FRCP, FRCPath, one of the most renowned Pathologists.
"....Camps stated that.Ordinarily the rigor mortis appears between 2-4 hours, but sometimes it is seen within 30 minutes of death and sometimes the onset is delayed for 6 hours or more."
This is from Bernard Knight CBE, who became Home Office Pathologist in 1965.
“Bernard Knight described the method of testing the rigor mortis by attempting to flex or extend the joints though the whole muscle mass itself becomes hard, and finger pressure on quadriceps or pectoralis can also detect the changes. The stiffness may develop within half an hour of death or may be postponed indefinitely."
In addition we have
Werner Uri Spitz (1993), a German-American forensic pathologist, "reported that in temperate climate, under average condition, rigor becomes apparent within half an hour to an hour, increases progressively to a maximum within twelve hours, remains for about twelve hours and then progressively disappears within the following twelve hours."
Then there is
From the English physiologist Sir Andrew Fielding Huxley (1974), who lived and worked in a temperate climate, we get this: 'the rigor mortis, which is cadaveric rigidity, starts developing within 1 to 2 hours after death and takes around 12 hours after death for complete development.'
To illustrate how the condition of the victim can accelerate the onset of Rigor
A.K. Mant, author of 'Forensic Pathology in Great Britain': "Rigor Mortis comes on slowly and uniformly in healthier subjects and the onset is rapid in case of deaths in exercises prior to death, convulsions andsudden haemorrhage".
Notice the emboldened part here Baron
Mason JK stated "The onset of rigor will be accelerated in conditions involving high ante-mortem muscle lactic acid e.g. after a struggle or other exercise.". So a struggle could bring on rigor earlier than the average, just like a cut throat
Sound familiar?
What if the muscles were feeble, fatigued and exhausted as in someone with TB?
Well according to S.C. Basu, author of the Handbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, rigor is "hastened or accelerated in feeble, fatigued and exhausted muscles"
And on to the point about the reliability of using rigor mortis to estimate TOD. Here’s a chap that you seem to believe understands the subject less well than you do
Dr Jason Payne-James LLM FRCS FFFLM FFSSoc RFP DFM
"The only use of assessing the presence or absence of rigor lies in the estimation of the time of death, and the key word here is estimation, as rigor is such a variable process that it can never provide an accurate assessment of the time of death. Extreme caution should be exercised in trying to assign a time of death based on the very subjective assessment of the degree and extent of rigor."
Please read the emboldened part closely Baron. This is not my opinion. I’ll ask again.....do you and Fishy claim the authority and expertise to dispute this man’s opinion?
I might add this one while I’m at it
The Kori paper says: "In wasting diseases like cancer, phthisis, rigor mortis will appear early".
Notice that it doesn’t say might. It says will.
Pthisis is TB and if you recall what Dr Phillips stayed at the Inquest about Annie Chapman
That she was "far advanced in the disEase”
I really don’t know why you keep up this desperate effort to try and promote the idea that all of the world’s Forensic experts are wrong and that you and Fishy are correct. Can’t you see this Baron?
I wouldn’t argue Biology with Richard Dawkins. I wouldn’t argue physics with Lawrence Krauss. I wouldn’t argue Tudor History with David Starkey or philosophy with AC Grayling. So why do you persist with this? And I’m the one getting stick for this debate! I’ll say it again but we’re down the rabbit-hole here.
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