Editing Putrefaction (section)

==Approximate timeline==
[[File:Postmortem interval changes (stages of death).png|thumb|500px|Timeline of postmortem changes (stages of death), with putrefaction labeled near middle.]]
The rough timeline of events during the putrefaction stage is as follows:
*1–2 days: Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis are the first steps in the process of decomposition before the process of putrefaction.
*2–3 days: Discoloration appears on the skin of the [[abdomen]]. The abdomen begins to swell due to gas formation.
*3–4 days: The discoloration spreads and discolored veins become visible.
*5–6 days: The abdomen swells noticeably and the skin blisters.
*10–20 days: Black putrefaction occurs, which is when noxious odors are released from the body and the parts of the body undergo a black discoloration.
*2 weeks: The abdomen is bloated; internal gas pressure nears maximum capacity. 
*3 weeks: Tissues have softened. Organs and cavities are bursting. The nails and hair fall off.
*4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to [[Liquefaction|liquefy]] and the face becomes unrecognizable. The skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

Order of organs' decomposition in the body:<ref name="Arthur Toxicology">{{cite book|last1=Luff|first1=Arthur|title=Forensic medicine and toxicology|year=1895|publisher=Longmans, Green and Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/textbookforensi00luffgoog/page/n77 58]|section=Internal Putrefactive Changes|volume=1|url=https://archive.org/details/textbookforensi00luffgoog|access-date=April 27, 2016|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
{{div col}}
#[[Larynx]] and [[trachea]]
#Infant brain
#[[Stomach]]
#[[Gastrointestinal tract|Intestines]]
#[[Spleen]]
#[[Greater omentum|Omentum]] and [[mesentery]]
#[[Liver]]
#Adult brain
#[[Heart]]
#[[Lung]]s
#[[Kidney]]s
#[[Urinary bladder|Bladder]]
#[[Esophagus]]
#[[Pancreas]]
#[[Thoracic diaphragm|Diaphragm]]
#[[Blood vessel]]s
#[[Uterus]]
{{div col end}}

The rate of putrefaction is greatest in air, followed by water, soil, and earth. The exact rate of putrefaction is dependent upon many factors such as weather, exposure and location. Thus, refrigeration at a morgue or funeral home can retard the process, allowing for burial in three days or so following death without [[embalming]].  The rate increases dramatically in tropical climates. The first external sign of putrefaction in a body lying in air is usually a greenish discoloration of the skin over the region of the [[cecum]], which appears in 12–24 hours. The first internal sign is usually a greenish discoloration on the undersurface of the liver.