[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) › Asphyxia and physical agents # Asphyxia and physical agents Hanging, strangulation, suffocation, drowning, burns, electricity and cold. 19 pages ## Finding - [**Autoerotic asphyxia** An accidental death during solitary sexual activity with restricted oxygen; recognising it…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/autoerotic-asphyxia/) - [**Bodies recovered from water** A body in water did not always drown: water changes the skin and decomposition and causes…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/bodies-recovered-from-water/) - [**Burns in forensic medicine: patterns and antemortem signs** The forensic doctor describes the cause, extent and pattern of burns and looks for signs that…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/burns-in-forensic-medicine-patterns-and-antemortem-signs/) - [**Chemical burns and acid attacks** Acids form a crust that slows penetration; alkalis go deeper](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/chemical-burns-and-acid-attacks/) - [**Death from cold: forensic findings** Death from hypothermia leaves few signs; Wischnewski spots and paradoxical undressing support…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/death-from-cold-forensic-findings/) - [**Death from heat: heat stroke and hyperthermia** Death from heat leaves almost no autopsy findings: it is diagnosed from the circumstances, a…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/death-from-heat-heat-stroke-and-hyperthermia/) - [**Deaths in fires: soot, carboxyhaemoglobin and heat artefacts** Most fire victims die from smoke; soot below the vocal cords and raised carboxyhaemoglobin show…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/deaths-in-fires-soot-carboxyhaemoglobin-and-heat-artefacts/) - [**Diving and pressure deaths: barotrauma and decompression** In a diver's death, drowning, arterial gas embolism from lung barotrauma, decompression sickness…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/diving-and-pressure-deaths-barotrauma-and-decompression/) - [**Drowning: forensic findings and diagnosis** No single test proves death by drowning: it is diagnosed by adding up signs and circumstances…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/drowning-forensic-findings-and-diagnosis/) - [**Electrical injury and lightning** Electricity leaves an entry mark and sometimes an exit mark; low voltage on wet skin may leave…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/electrical-injury-and-lightning/) - [**Environmental asphyxia: low oxygen, gases and confined spaces** In wells, tanks or bags the air can run out of oxygen or fill with gases; it leaves few findings…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/environmental-asphyxia-low-oxygen-gases-and-confined-spaces/) - [**Hanging** In hanging the noose tightens on the neck through the body's own weight; it leaves an oblique…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/hanging/) - [**Ligature strangulation** In ligature strangulation a force other than body weight tightens the neck; it leaves a…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/ligature-strangulation/) - [**Manual strangulation (throttling)** In manual strangulation hands squeeze the neck: it leaves finger and nail marks, but many living…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/manual-strangulation/) - [**Neck holds, armlocks and reflex cardiac arrest** A neck hold can cause unconsciousness within seconds and kill, sometimes without marks: the…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/neck-holds-armlocks-and-reflex-cardiac-arrest/) - [**Scalds: accidental and inflicted** A spill scald has irregular edges and splashes; a forced-immersion scald has sharp edges, even…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/scalds-accidental-and-inflicted/) - [**Smothering, gagging and choking** Smothering covers the nose and mouth; choking blocks the airway from inside](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/smothering-gagging-and-choking/) - [**Traumatic and positional asphyxia** In traumatic asphyxia a weight crushes the chest; in positional asphyxia the body's posture…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/traumatic-and-positional-asphyxia/) ## Topic - [**Mechanical asphyxia: types and the general signs** Mechanical asphyxia is death or injury from a physical force that stops breathing or cuts off…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/mechanical-asphyxia-types-and-the-general-signs/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/i/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/n/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/t/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/v/) [← Forensic and legal medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/asphyxia-physical/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/asphyxia-physical/