1990/01/01 by RW Mann, WM Bass, L Meadows +1 · 3 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies #Human-Animal Interaction Studies #Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
paper · doi:10.1520/jfs12806j
openalex publication_date 1990/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Much of the difficulty in determining the time since death stems from the lack of systematic observation and research on the decomposition rate of the human body. Continuing studies conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provide useful information on the impact of carrion insect activity, ambient temperature, rainfall, clothing, burial and depth, carnivores, bodily trauma, body weight, and the surface with which the body is in contact. This paper reports findings and observations accumulated during eight years of research and case studies that may clarify some of the questions concerning bodily decay.