Xref: utzoo sci.bio:2554 sci.med:13857
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!mephisto!prism!revolver!steve
From: steve%revolver@gatech.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.med
Subject: What is mechanism for bloating of bodies after death?
Keywords: death, bloating, floating
Message-ID: <4246@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 8 Dec 89 23:30:26 GMT
Sender: news@prism.gatech.EDU
Reply-To: steve%revolver@gatech.edu
Followup-To: sci.bio
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
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     A question has arisen on one or two other newsgroups recently whose
answer may be provided here.  It involves the decomposition of a human
body after death.

     What is the mechanism which causes the bloating which is observed shortly
after death?  I think it involves anaerobic bacteria, but why do these same
bacteria not cause bloating when the person is alive.  What has changed after
death (beyond the obvious) that was not happening when the person was alive.
How is the rate of decomposition affected by temperature?  Please be as specific
as you possibly can.

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