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Abstract
We studied the persistence of rigor mortis by using physical manipulation. We tested
the mobility of the knee on 146 corpses kept under refrigeration at Torino's city
mortuary at a constant temperature of +4 degrees C. We found a persistence of complete
rigor lasting for 10 days in all the cadavers we kept under observation; and in one
case, rigor lasted for 16 days. Between the 11th and the 17th days, a progressively
increasing number of corpses showed a change from complete into partial rigor (characterized
by partial bending of the articulation). After the 17th day, all the remaining corpses
showed partial rigor and in the two cadavers that were kept under observation "à outrance"
we found the absolute resolution of rigor mortis occurred on the 28th day. Our results
prove that it is possible to find a persistence of rigor mortis that is much longer
than the expected when environmental conditions resemble average outdoor winter temperatures
in temperate zones. Therefore, this datum must be considered when a corpse is found
in those environmental conditions so that when estimating the time of death, we are
not misled by the long persistence of rigor mortis.