Experimental analysis of the cause of downward progression of rigor mortis

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Rigor mortis usually progresses downwards, but the cause is not known. We found that proportion of muscle fiber type affected progression of rigor mortis, and thought that the difference in the proportion between muscles is one of the causes of downward progression of rigor mortis.We use liquid paraffin to make a circumstance around muscles in dead bodies. Proportions of muscle fiber types in several kinds of rat muscles were measured with ATPase enzyme histochemistry.Postmortem changes in phosphates in the muscles were measured with ^<31>P-nuclear magnetic resonance. Creatine phosphate and ATP decreased more rapidly in red muscles than in white muscles. Postmortem changes in stiffness and rigor tension were also measured. They increased more rapidly in red muscles than in white muscles. The changes were affected by temperature.Therefore, we confirmed that rigor mortis of red muscles progressed more rapidly than that of white muscles, and that temperature affected the time course much.We thought that the effects of proportion of muscle fiber types and temperature on rigor mortis were causes of downward progression of rigor mortis in rigor mortis in human cadavers.