{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]],"date-time":"2026-09-05T05:31:07Z","timestamp":1788586267676,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,11,15]],"date-time":"2012-11-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1352937600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Sci Law"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The cause and manner of death in submersion cases are a routine challenge for forensic pathologists as they present considerable diagnostic difficulties. The present study was undertaken with a view to determine the characteristic pattern in bodies retrieved from water. From a total of 6779 medicolegal deaths reported at an Apex Medical Centre, Yeotmal, a rural district of Maharashtra over a 10-year study period, only 110 cases (1.6%) were decomposed and 243 cases (3.6%) were non-decomposed bodies retrieved from water with a rate of 0.6 decomposed body as compared with 1.4 non-decomposed bodies per 100,000 population per year. However, out of total 353 bodies retrieved from water, 31.2% were decomposed and 68.8% non-decomposed. Male predominance was seen in both groups with peak at 31-40 years. The cause and manner of death were ascertained as 89.9% and 82.7%, respectively, in decomposed bodies as compared with 100% and 96.3%, respectively, in non-decomposed bodies. Drowning was the commonest cause of death in both groups with suicide as the commonest manner of death in decomposed bodies in contrast to accidental in non-decomposed bodies. Excessive amount of pleural fluid, aquatic animal activity and mud\/vegetation in lower respiratory tract was more commonly encountered in decomposed bodies. However, fine white froth was not seen in any of the cases in contrast to 81% non-decomposed bodies. Bodies were commonly recovered from wells in both groups. Most of the bodies were retrieved in the rainy season followed by summer and winter seasons in both groups.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1258\/msl.2012.012037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,11,15]],"date-time":"2012-11-15T21:09:05Z","timestamp":1353013745000},"page":"12-18","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Decomposed and non-decomposed bodies retrieved from water: a comparative approach"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"53","author":[{"given":"Vipul Namdeorao","family":"Ambade","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Nagpur 440 003, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hemant Ghanshyam","family":"Kukde","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yeotmal 445 001, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ajit","family":"Malani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yeotmal 445 001, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nilesh Keshav","family":"Tumram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Nagpur 440 003, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaydeo Laxman","family":"Borkar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Nagpur 440 003, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anil Krishnaram","family":"Batra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yeotmal 445 001, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Satin Kalidas","family":"Meshram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Nagpur 440 003, Maharashtra, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,11,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.282.6273.1340"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","first-page":"475","volume-title":"Legal Medicine, Pathology and Toxicology.","author":"Gonzalez TA","year":"1954","unstructured":"Gonzalez TA, Vance M, Helpern M, Umberger CJ. 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