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Exhumation - digging up a body
that has been buried - is an extreme measure confined to the need either to
recite a burial or, more rarely, to establish the presence of injuries or toxic
substances in cases where hindsight has made
cause of death seem suspicious. Exhumation for any purpose must be
authorized by the office of the Home Secretary, most often at the formal request
of the police or
coroner.
It is obviously vital that the site of burial is correctly identified, in this
matter it is helpful if the original undertaker is available to confirm the
identity of the coffin and coffin plate.
Although it is not uncommon for a mechanical digger to be used to remove the
greater depth of soil, in cases where poisoning is suspected it is important
that soil samples are collected during excavation from;
1. Surface ground above the coffin
2. Six inches above the coffin
3. Each side of the coffin
4. Beneath the coffin
5. Control samples from other parts of the cemetery*
The coffin is then removed to the mortuary for
post mortem examination, though advantage may be taken of the open air to
raise the lid of the coffin slightly and allow gases to escape.
Once at the mortuary the coffin is opened and positive identification
established by means appropriate to the state of decomposition of the remains.
If the body was recently buried visual identification by a relative or
acquaintances may be possible, otherwise,
fingerprints or
dental records should be compared.
Subsequent
post mortem examination of the remains will be for the purpose of
determining
cause of death, and according to Professor Francis Camp should follow this
procedure:
1. X-ray of the body taken
2.
Photographs taken of the body
3. Full autopsy carried out and tissues removed for histological and
preservation (usually in alcohol).
4. Tissue samples should be made available to the analyst, plus samples of hair,
skin, finger and toe nails, and any fluid in the coffin
5. Samples should also be taken for analysis of any other materials that have
been in contact with the body - wood from the coffin, coffin lining, shroud,
etc.
If the body is particularly badly decomposed, the brain may be in too liquid a
state for removal and examination. However, it is reported that Belgian
pathologists employ the procedure of removing the head and solidifying it in a
deep freeze cabinet. The frozen head is then cut laterally through the scalp,
skull and brain, and the two halves fixed in formalin to harden the brain tissue
which can then be removed.
Following
post mortem examination the remains are reburied.
* This is crucial in cases of suspected arsenic poisoning as soil may naturally
contain high concentrations of the poison; a phenomenon has led to conflict and
confusion in medical evidence. |
