Recovery and Rehydration of Decomposed and Mummified Tissues in Postmortem Analysis

Abstract

After the death of individuals, sequential degradative processes called autolysis and putrefaction are initiated in the tissues, processes that cause total or partial degradation, sometimes leaving remnants of tissue. Mummification is a process by which the degradative processes are slowed and, in some cases, stopped, allowing the tissue to be apparently preserved. There are two main types of mummification: natural and artificial; natural mummification is caused by conditions related to the environment in which the tissues are located. Within the artificial techniques, there is cadaveric preservation (embalming), a procedure currently used for health and scientific studies. To carry out studies of tissues in some degree of decomposition or mummified, it is necessary to submit the samples for a process called recovery and/or rehydration, by means of immersion techniques in hypotonic solutions, which facilitates the processing and subsequent analysis of the characteristics of these tissues, both macroscopically and microscopically.