Rectal temperature time of death nomogram: sudden change of ambient temperature

Cooling experiments on dummies known as body-like cooling were performed wi th sudden decrease and increase of ambient temperature in the order of 15 d egrees C. in the case of a sudden decrease of ambient temperature, a second 'temperature plateau' occurs which is shorter than the known plateau at th e beginning of body cooling. The cooling curves can be described mathematic ally by a three-step procedure based on the two-exponential term of the 'no mogram method'. The second plateau at the beginning of the second cooling p hase in sudden decreased ambient temperature requires a lower value of the constant A (1.15) compared with the known value (1.25) at the beginning of body cooling. In the case of a sudden increase of ambient temperature in th e order of 15 degrees C no procedure could be found to model the cooling cu rves mathematically. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights rese rved.