Experimental studies on diagnosis of death from drowning by means of detection of vegetative planktons (diatoms) I. Detection of diatoms from the bones of drowned and cremated bodies

With an intention to establish definitely that detection of diatoms, vegetative plariktons, in the remains of a corpse will offer an unequivocal proof of death from drowning, even in the case where the suspected corpse has been cremated, the author observed organs and bones of 16 healthy adult rabbits which were drowned in a ditch, and burned as a whole with wood fire or incinerated in the electric oven. As the results it was found that diatoms can be detected in the interned organs so long as they remain. Even in the case where the corpse was cremated at high temperature, it is also possible to detect several kinds of diatoms in bones, the femur showing the greatest number followed by the humerus suggesting that long bones are more suitable for the detection of diatoms than any other bones, as they contain more numbers and kinds of diatoms. Thus it is concluded that detection of diatoms in the remains of the corpse suspected of drowning can definitely give an unequivocal evidence that the death is from drowning.