Introduction
Victims
Suspects
Witnesses
Ripper Letters
Police Officials
Official Documents
Press Reports
Victorian London
Message Boards
Ripper Media
Authors
Dissertations
Timelines
Games & Diversions
About the Casebook

 Search:
 

Join the Chat Room!

MJK Time of Death Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Edit Profile

Casebook: Jack the Ripper - Message Boards » Victims » Mary Jane Kelly » MJK Time of Death « Previous Next »

Author Message
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Diana
Chief Inspector
Username: Diana

Post Number: 756
Registered: 2-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 4:08 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

http://www.studyworld.com/basementpapers/papers/stack12_14.html

I found this link. It is very useful for estimating time of death.

I'm going to look at the picture again to see if there are any signs of livor mortis.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Jane Coram
Chief Inspector
Username: Jcoram

Post Number: 548
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 4:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Excellent link,

Thanks Diana, very helpful

Jane

xxxxx
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Gareth W
Unregistered guest
Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - 5:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Diana,

Tricky to tell from the picture as Mary was lying supine and the livor mortis (or "lividity") would be most obvious in the region of her back. This is because livor mortis is caused by the action of gravity "pulling" the blood towards the centre of the Earth.

Excerpt from the "Handbook of Forensic Pathology":

"... if lividity is observed on the back of the body [...] you can be sure that the body had been on its back. Lividity begins about 30 minutes after death and becomes "fixed" in 8 to 10 hours"

You'd also find difficulty to diagnose livor mortis from an image, as you'd probably need to prod the corpse to get a better idea of the time of death. From the same source:

"If when lividity first develops, [press the] skin, the pressure will cause "blanching". When pressure is released the discoloration returns. After 4 or 5 hours the discoloration becomes clotted and pressure will not cause blanching."

Assuming one could, from a 120-year-old photo, identify patches of livor mortis (AND distinguish them from common-or-garden bruises or splashes of blood/faeces), I'd have little confidence in a diagnosis of time of death without also being able to apply the crucial "pressure test"

A very interesting post, nonetheless.

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | User List | Help/Instructions | Register now! Administration

Use of these message boards implies agreement and consent to our Terms of Use. The views expressed here in no way reflect the views of the owners and operators of Casebook: Jack the Ripper.
Our old message board content (45,000+ messages) is no longer available online, but a complete archive is available on the Casebook At Home Edition, for 19.99 (US) plus shipping. The "At Home" Edition works just like the real web site, but with absolutely no advertisements. You can browse it anywhere - in the car, on the plane, on your front porch - without ever needing to hook up to an internet connection. Click here to buy the Casebook At Home Edition.