DEATH
•General terms
•Terms derived from mors
•Quiz

Death
❖In death lies the final truth.
❖
❖Truth conquers in all matters.

the permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue.
A patient is considered dead when there is irreversible cessation of cardiopulmonary function
Or when there is irreversible cessation of brain function
Signs of death- no pulse, no breathing, algor mortis, pallor mortis, and livor mortis

 General terms



Greek
Thanat-  (θάνατος)
Necr- (νεκρός)
DEATH
❖Latin
❖Exitus, us, m.
❖Mors, tis, f.
❖Finis, is, m.
❖
❖Letalis, e
❖Mortalis, e

Exitus- Path to death, exit, figuratively, clinical- exitus lethalis (natural death)
Mors- pathological anatomy- Mors auxilium vitae (
Finis- end or death
Necros- dead body
Thanatos- god of peaceful death
Letalis- fatal
Mortalis- subjective to death

Terms derived from mors



Mors biologica
❖A permanent cellular damage resulting from lack of oxygen, which is irreversible


Mors clinica
❖a cessation of blood circulation and breathing, which is reversible by resuscitation methods

The paitent should be able to be revived through CPR, or Defibration paddles.

Mors in tabula
❖Death on the operation table

Uncontrollable bloodloss, stroke or heart attack, weak patient that cannot withstand stress of
surgery

Mors subita
❖Sudden death

Arrhythmia
Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)
Intracranial Emergencies
Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Aortic Catastrophe

Mors lentissima
❖Very slow death
Image result for aids

Alzheimers disease or AIDS

Mors praenatalis
❖Death of fetus before it starts breathing independently

Lupus, trauma, hypoxia due to umbilical cord strangulation, true umbilical knot- resulting in
suffocation, rh factor of mother, autoimmune diseases.

Mors neonatalis
❖Death of a new-born up to 10 days after birth
Image result for baby coffin

Infections, especially blood infections
Complications of preterm birth
Lower respiratory infections (such as flu and pneumonia)
Diarrheal diseases

As we approach death



Moribundus, a, um
❖The one who is going to die, dying man


Vita minima
❖weak signs of the life

Weak signs of life, organs not working in unison, vitals are weak along with body giving signs of
death

In ultimis/                   in extremis
❖in the last moments of life
Image result for death bed

In articulo mortis
❖in the moment of the death


Mortuus, a, um
❖Dead


The stages of death
1.Pallor mortis
2.Algor mortis
3.Rigor mortis
4.Livor mortis
5.Putrefaction
6.Decomposition
7.Skeletonization Fossilization
8.

Pallor mortis
❖Paleness post mortem

Pallor = paleness
It occures almost immediately( 15-25 min.) post mortem
It results from the cessation of capillary circulation throughout the body. → Livor mortis

Algor mortis
❖The change of the body temperature post mortem until ambient temperature is matched


Rigor mortis
❖Post mortem stiffness caused by chemical changes in muscles, it subsides after 24h

Muscles actualy need work to relax/extend by pumping calcium ions out of the cells and "rewinding"
the fibers to default postition. Letting calcium ions in the cell again then in fact triggers the
fibers to spring into flexed position. Also ATP is required to break the actin and myosin bridges,
when the organism dies, ATP is not produced anymore.
After the cells die, they can't keep the ions outside anymore and they eventually get inside and
flex the muscles. It’s uncoordinated and doesn't work properly but it sufficiently locks the
muscles in place.
As these protein muscle fibers decompose the rigor subdues.

Livor mortis
❖A settling of the blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body after death causing a
purplish red discolouration of the skin

Putrefaction
❖Putrefactio, onis, f
❖
❖When the organism begins to decay or rot

pūtrefactiō f (genitive pūtrefactiōnis); third declension - rotting

Decomposition
❖Compositio, onis, f.
❖
❖The organism begins to break down into simpler organic substances that can be used as nutrients
for other organisms
Image result for decomposition

compositiō f (genitive compositiōnis); third declension – mixture or union
De- of or from (latin prefix)

Skeletonization
❖The remaining tissue of the organism continues to decay until just the skeleton remains


Quiz



What declension is mors and how is it declined?



What is the meaning of rigor mortis?

Post mortem muscle stuffness that occures due to the body‘s inability to
Maintain the balance that allows for muscle contraction and relaxation

What is the difference between mors biologica and mors clinica?

Biologia is the death of cells due to lack of oxygen (irreversable), as opposed to clinica where
the death of hte paitent is revesable (CPR, Difibulator)

Translate this sentence:
Mors subita propter embolum pulmonalem

Sudden death due to embolism in the lungs

What does exitus letalis mean?

Natural death

Finis, is, m
Image result for end of looney toons