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Spectrometric evaluation of post-mortem optical skin changes

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Abstract

As to their optical properties, the components of human skin can be divided into two different categories: the light-scattering components shown as peaks and those absorbing light appearing as dips in the reflectance spectrum. As the post-mortem interval progresses, the concentration of scatterers and absorbers and thus the reflectance spectra change due to post-mortem tissue breakdown and degradation. Based on a total number of 532 reflectance spectrometric measurements in 195 deceased, a characteristic change in the reflectance spectra could be documented in the post-mortem course. Subsequently, an algorithm to calculate the post-mortem interval was developed by analysing the reflectance spectrometric extrema.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council), file numbers BO 1923/2-2 and LI 1799/1-2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Julius-Maximilian University, Versbacher Strasse 3, 97078, Würzburg, Germany

    Vera Sterzik & Michael Bohnert

  2. Freiburg Materials Research Center, Albert Ludwig University, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Lioudmila Belenkaia & Andreas W. Liehr

Authors
  1. Vera Sterzik
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  2. Lioudmila Belenkaia
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  3. Andreas W. Liehr
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  4. Michael Bohnert
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Correspondence to Vera Sterzik.

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Sterzik, V., Belenkaia, L., Liehr, A.W. et al. Spectrometric evaluation of post-mortem optical skin changes. Int J Legal Med 128, 361–367 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-013-0855-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-013-0855-2

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