ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 July 1977
Page Count: 7

Human Body Buoyancy: A Study of 98 Men
Donoghue, ER
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,

Minnigerode, SC
Fellow in Legal Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,

(Received 10 September 1976; accepted 5 October 1976)

Abstract

Can any conclusions regarding cause of death be drawn from whether a body floats or sinks in water? In 1699 a famous British murder trial was precipitated by the discovery of a young woman's body floating on the surface of a millpond very soon after death. The townspeople could not reconcile this circumstance with anything but foul play, and four lawyers were charged with her murder. Among the evidence presented was the testimony of a sailor who recounted that at the naval battle of Beachy Head the men who were shot and fell overboard floated, while those who were drowned immediately sank [1].

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Paper ID: JFS10628J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS10628J
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