Estimating the time of death

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• The temperature is measured without moving the body or changing the clothing, see table Actions and observations when estimating the time of death: a checklist.1.
• Environmental temperature is measured close to the place where the rectal temperature is measured.
• The estimated time should be adjusted on the basis of body build, clothing, and the thermal conduction of the surface on which the body lies. The margin of error is ± 2 hours during the first 10 hours after death, and thereafter ± 3–4 hours.
• Depending on the case, it may be necessary to perform several temperature measurements e.g. at 1- and 2-hour intervals.

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Autopsy, Body Temperature, Cadaver, Cause of Death, Death, Forensic medicine, R98, R99, Rigor Mortis, determining time of death, postmortem lividity, putrefaction