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Manner of death

January 01, 1970

"Natural death" redirects here. For the album, see A Natural Death.
"Natural causes" redirects here. For other uses, see Natural causes (disambiguation).
"Unnatural Death" redirects here. For the novel, see Unnatural Death (novel).

In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinction is made between the cause of death, which is a specific disease or injury, versus manner of death, which is primarily a legal determination versus the mechanism of death (also called the mode of death) which does not explain why the person died or the underlying cause of death and can include cardiac arrest or exsanguination. Different categories are used in different jurisdictions, but manner of death determinations include everything from very broad categories like "natural" and "homicide" to specific manners like "traffic accident" or "gunshot wound". In some cases an autopsy is performed, either due to general legal requirements, because the medical cause of death is uncertain, upon the request of family members or guardians, or because the circumstances of death were suspicious.

International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes can be used to record manner and cause of death in a systematic way that makes it easy to compile statistics and more feasible to compare events across jurisdictions.[1]

Terminology edit

Death by natural causes edit

A death by natural causes results from an illness and its complications or an internal malfunction of the body not directly caused by external forces, other than infectious disease. For example, a person dying from complications from pneumonia, diarrheal disease or HIV/AIDS (infections), cancer, stroke or heart disease (internal body malfunctions), or sudden organ failure would most likely be listed as having died from natural causes. "Death by natural causes" is sometimes used as a euphemism for "dying of old age", which is considered problematic as a cause of death (as opposed to a specific age-related disease); there are also many non-age-related causes of "natural" death, for legal manner-of-death purposes. (See Cause of death § Aging.)

There is particular ambiguity around the classification of cardiac deaths triggered by a traumatic incident, such as in stress cardiomyopathy. Liability for a death classified as by natural causes may still be found if a proximate cause is established,[2][3] as in the 1969 California case People v. Stamp.[4]

Unnatural causes edit

An unnatural death results from an external cause, typically including homicides, suicides, accidents, medical errors, alcohol intoxications and drug overdoses.[5][6] Jurisdictions differ in how they categorize and report unnatural deaths, including level of detail and whether they are considered a single category with subcategories, or separate top-level categories.[7][8] There is no international standard on whether or how to classify a death as natural vs. unnatural.[9]

"Mechanism of death" is sometimes used to refer to the proximate cause of death, which might differ from the cause that is used to classify the manner of death. For example, the proximate cause or mechanism of death might be brain ischemia (lack of blood flow to the brain), caused by a malignant neoplasm (cancer), in turn caused by a dose of ionizing radiation administered by a person with intent to kill or injure, leading to certification of the manner of death as "homicide".

The manner of death can be recorded as "undetermined" if there is not enough evidence to reach a firm conclusion.[10] For example, the discovery of a partial human skeleton indicates a death, but might not provide enough evidence to determine a cause.[11]

Categories by jurisdiction edit

United States edit

In the United States, a manner of death is expressed as belonging to one classification of a group of six possible:[12][7][11]

In some jurisdictions, some more detailed manners may be reported in numbers broken out from the main four or five. For example:

United Kingdom edit

In the United Kingdom, when people die, either a doctor writes an acceptable natural cause of death medical certificate, or a coroner (procurator fiscal in Scotland) investigates the case.[9] Coroners are independent judicial officers who investigate deaths reported to them, and subsequently whatever inquiries are necessary to discover the cause of death, this includes ordering a post-mortem examination, obtaining witness statements and medical records, or holding an inquest.[14] In the unified legal jurisdiction of England and Wales, most deaths are certified by doctors without autopsy or coroner involvement. Almost all deaths certified by the coroner involve an autopsy but most do not involve a formal inquest.[15]

In England and Wales, a specific list of choices for verdicts is not mandated, and "narrative verdicts" are allowed, which are not specifically classified. The verdicts aggregated by the Ministry of Justice are:[16]

Further information: Inquests in England and Wales § Verdict or conclusions

Other jurisdictions edit

Some jurisdictions[which?] place deaths in absentia, such as deaths at sea and missing persons declared dead in a court of law, in the "Undetermined" category on the grounds that due to the fact-finder's lack of ability to examine the body, the examiner has no personal knowledge of the manner of (assumed) death; others[which?] classify such deaths in an additional category "Other", reserving "Undetermined" for deaths in which the fact-finder has access to the body, but the information provided by the body and examination of it is insufficient to provide sufficient grounds for a determination.

The Norwegian Medical Association classifies what other jurisdictions might call "undetermined" as "unnatural":[8][why?]

  • Sudden and unexpected death of an unknown cause
  • Deaths in prison or while in civilian or military detention

Legal implications edit

A death ruled as homicide or unlawful killing is typically referred to police or prosecutor or equivalent official for investigation and criminal charges if warranted. Deaths caused by capital punishment, though homicides, are generally assumed to be lawful and are not prosecuted. Most deaths due to war are not prosecuted, unless there is evidence of a war crime, in which case troops on foreign territory might be prosecuted by the military justice system, domestic law enforcement, or the International Criminal Court.[citation needed]

Some insurance contracts, such as life insurance policies, have special rules for certain manners of death. Suicide, for example, may invalidate claims under terms of such a contract.[citation needed]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "ICD - Classification of Death and Injury Resulting from Terrorism". www.cdc.gov. 2023-06-29. from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  2. ^ Gill, James R. (2022-10-05). Adelson's The Pathology of Homicide: A Guide for Forensic Pathologists and Homicide Investigators (2nd ed.). Charles C Thomas Publisher. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-398-09391-4. from the original on 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  3. ^ Lesnikova, Iana; Leone, Lisa; Gilliland, MGF (September 2018). "Manner of Death Certification After Significant Emotional Stress: An Inter-Rater Variability Study and Review of the Literature". Academic Forensic Pathology. 8 (3): 692–707. doi:10.1177/1925362118797741. ISSN 1925-3621. PMC 6490595. PMID 31240064.
  4. ^ Criminal Law. Wolters Kluwer. 2008-01-25. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-7355-7185-3. from the original on 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  5. ^ External causes of death 2020-08-04 at the Wayback Machine, University of Melbourne, retrieved April 25, 2019
  6. ^ Zeegers, Maurice (2016-05-18). Forensic Epidemiology: Principles and Practice. ISBN 9780124045842.
  7. ^ a b Bryant, Clifton D. (2003). Handbook of death & dying. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. pp. 968. ISBN 0-7619-2514-7.
  8. ^ a b Alfsen, G. Cecilie (2013). "Medical autopsies after deaths outside hospital". Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening. 133 (7): 756–9. doi:10.4045/tidsskr.12.1081. PMID 23588179.
  9. ^ a b Harris, A. (2017). "'Natural' and 'Unnatural' medical deaths and coronial law: A UK and international review of the medical literature on natural and unnatural death and how it applies to medical death certification and reporting deaths to coroners: Natural/Unnatural death: A Scientific Review". Med Sci Law. 57 (3): 105–114. doi:10.1177/0025802417708948. PMID 28669276. S2CID 24216334.
  10. ^ Palmer, Brian (21 December 2009). "What, Exactly, Are "Natural Causes"?". Slate.com. from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  11. ^ a b c "Cause & Manner of Death | Snohomish County, WA - Official Website". snohomishcountywa.gov. from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  12. ^ "Cause, Mechanism, and Manner of Death". Crime Museum. from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  13. ^ Stark, Martha (2000). A physician's guide to clinical forensic medicine. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. p. 225. ISBN 0-89603-742-8.
  14. ^ "Coroners, post-mortems and inquests | nidirect". www.nidirect.gov.uk. 2015-11-04. from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  15. ^ [1] 2020-08-04 at the Wayback Machine – Figure 1, page 16
  16. ^ "Statistics on deaths reported to coroners England and Wales, 2008" (PDF). Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin. 7 May 2009. p. 17. (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019. – Table 6: Inquest verdicts returned, 1994-2008

Further reading edit

  • S.A.Koehler. "Chapter 7 – Death Investigation". Forensic Epidemiology: Principles and Practice. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-404584-2.00007-0.

External links edit

  • DEATH FROM NATURAL CAUSES – CERTIFICATE OF TREATING OR EXAMINING DOCTOR – Form 3 – Burial and Cremation Act 2013 (section 10) (Australia)

January 01, 1970
manner, death, natural, death, redirects, here, album, natural, death, natural, causes, redirects, here, other, uses, natural, causes, disambiguation, unnatural, death, redirects, here, novel, unnatural, death, novel, many, legal, jurisdictions, manner, death,. Natural death redirects here For the album see A Natural Death Natural causes redirects here For other uses see Natural causes disambiguation Unnatural Death redirects here For the novel see Unnatural Death novel In many legal jurisdictions the manner of death is a determination typically made by the coroner medical examiner police or similar officials and recorded as a vital statistic Within the United States and the United Kingdom a distinction is made between the cause of death which is a specific disease or injury versus manner of death which is primarily a legal determination versus the mechanism of death also called the mode of death which does not explain why the person died or the underlying cause of death and can include cardiac arrest or exsanguination Different categories are used in different jurisdictions but manner of death determinations include everything from very broad categories like natural and homicide to specific manners like traffic accident or gunshot wound In some cases an autopsy is performed either due to general legal requirements because the medical cause of death is uncertain upon the request of family members or guardians or because the circumstances of death were suspicious International Classification of Disease ICD codes can be used to record manner and cause of death in a systematic way that makes it easy to compile statistics and more feasible to compare events across jurisdictions 1 Contents 1 Terminology 1 1 Death by natural causes 1 2 Unnatural causes 2 Categories by jurisdiction 2 1 United States 2 2 United Kingdom 2 3 Other jurisdictions 3 Legal implications 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksTerminology editDeath by natural causes edit A death by natural causes results from an illness and its complications or an internal malfunction of the body not directly caused by external forces other than infectious disease For example a person dying from complications from pneumonia diarrheal disease or HIV AIDS infections cancer stroke or heart disease internal body malfunctions or sudden organ failure would most likely be listed as having died from natural causes Death by natural causes is sometimes used as a euphemism for dying of old age which is considered problematic as a cause of death as opposed to a specific age related disease there are also many non age related causes of natural death for legal manner of death purposes See Cause of death Aging There is particular ambiguity around the classification of cardiac deaths triggered by a traumatic incident such as in stress cardiomyopathy Liability for a death classified as by natural causes may still be found if a proximate cause is established 2 3 as in the 1969 California case People v Stamp 4 Unnatural causes edit An unnatural death results from an external cause typically including homicides suicides accidents medical errors alcohol intoxications and drug overdoses 5 6 Jurisdictions differ in how they categorize and report unnatural deaths including level of detail and whether they are considered a single category with subcategories or separate top level categories 7 8 There is no international standard on whether or how to classify a death as natural vs unnatural 9 Mechanism of death is sometimes used to refer to the proximate cause of death which might differ from the cause that is used to classify the manner of death For example the proximate cause or mechanism of death might be brain ischemia lack of blood flow to the brain caused by a malignant neoplasm cancer in turn caused by a dose of ionizing radiation administered by a person with intent to kill or injure leading to certification of the manner of death as homicide The manner of death can be recorded as undetermined if there is not enough evidence to reach a firm conclusion 10 For example the discovery of a partial human skeleton indicates a death but might not provide enough evidence to determine a cause 11 Categories by jurisdiction editUnited States edit In the United States a manner of death is expressed as belonging to one classification of a group of six possible 12 7 11 Natural Accident Suicide Homicide Undetermined Pending In some jurisdictions some more detailed manners may be reported in numbers broken out from the main four or five For example Legal intervention e g capital punishment 1 Act of war 1 Automobile accidents 11 Deaths of prison inmates by acute intoxication 13 United Kingdom edit In the United Kingdom when people die either a doctor writes an acceptable natural cause of death medical certificate or a coroner procurator fiscal in Scotland investigates the case 9 Coroners are independent judicial officers who investigate deaths reported to them and subsequently whatever inquiries are necessary to discover the cause of death this includes ordering a post mortem examination obtaining witness statements and medical records or holding an inquest 14 In the unified legal jurisdiction of England and Wales most deaths are certified by doctors without autopsy or coroner involvement Almost all deaths certified by the coroner involve an autopsy but most do not involve a formal inquest 15 In England and Wales a specific list of choices for verdicts is not mandated and narrative verdicts are allowed which are not specifically classified The verdicts aggregated by the Ministry of Justice are 16 Homicide Killed unlawfully Killed lawfully Suicide Attempted or self induced abortion Cause of death aggravated by lack of care or self neglect Dependence on drugs Non dependent abuse of drugs Want of attention at birth Death from industrial diseases Death by accident or misadventure Stillborn Death from natural causes Open verdict Disaster Further information Inquests in England and Wales Verdict or conclusions Other jurisdictions edit Some jurisdictions which place deaths in absentia such as deaths at sea and missing persons declared dead in a court of law in the Undetermined category on the grounds that due to the fact finder s lack of ability to examine the body the examiner has no personal knowledge of the manner of assumed death others which classify such deaths in an additional category Other reserving Undetermined for deaths in which the fact finder has access to the body but the information provided by the body and examination of it is insufficient to provide sufficient grounds for a determination The Norwegian Medical Association classifies what other jurisdictions might call undetermined as unnatural 8 why Sudden and unexpected death of an unknown cause Deaths in prison or while in civilian or military detentionLegal implications editA death ruled as homicide or unlawful killing is typically referred to police or prosecutor or equivalent official for investigation and criminal charges if warranted Deaths caused by capital punishment though homicides are generally assumed to be lawful and are not prosecuted Most deaths due to war are not prosecuted unless there is evidence of a war crime in which case troops on foreign territory might be prosecuted by the military justice system domestic law enforcement or the International Criminal Court citation needed Some insurance contracts such as life insurance policies have special rules for certain manners of death Suicide for example may invalidate claims under terms of such a contract citation needed See also editInquests in England and Wales conducted by coroners Coroner History Cause of death Proximate and ultimate causationReferences edit a b c ICD Classification of Death and Injury Resulting from Terrorism www cdc gov 2023 06 29 Archived from the original on 2020 06 09 Retrieved 2024 02 06 Gill James R 2022 10 05 Adelson s The Pathology of Homicide A Guide for Forensic Pathologists and Homicide Investigators 2nd ed Charles C Thomas Publisher p 88 ISBN 978 0 398 09391 4 Archived from the original on 2023 10 29 Retrieved 2023 07 10 Lesnikova Iana Leone Lisa Gilliland MGF September 2018 Manner of Death Certification After Significant Emotional Stress An Inter Rater Variability Study and Review of the Literature Academic Forensic Pathology 8 3 692 707 doi 10 1177 1925362118797741 ISSN 1925 3621 PMC 6490595 PMID 31240064 Criminal Law Wolters Kluwer 2008 01 25 p 180 ISBN 978 0 7355 7185 3 Archived from the original on 2023 10 29 Retrieved 2023 07 10 External causes of death Archived 2020 08 04 at the Wayback Machine University of Melbourne retrieved April 25 2019 Zeegers Maurice 2016 05 18 Forensic Epidemiology Principles and Practice ISBN 9780124045842 a b Bryant Clifton D 2003 Handbook of death amp dying Thousand Oaks Sage Publications pp 968 ISBN 0 7619 2514 7 a b Alfsen G Cecilie 2013 Medical autopsies after deaths outside hospital Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening 133 7 756 9 doi 10 4045 tidsskr 12 1081 PMID 23588179 a b Harris A 2017 Natural and Unnatural medical deaths and coronial law A UK and international review of the medical literature on natural and unnatural death and how it applies to medical death certification and reporting deaths to coroners Natural Unnatural death A Scientific Review Med Sci Law 57 3 105 114 doi 10 1177 0025802417708948 PMID 28669276 S2CID 24216334 Palmer Brian 21 December 2009 What Exactly Are Natural Causes Slate com Archived from the original on 3 October 2018 Retrieved 25 April 2019 a b c Cause amp Manner of Death Snohomish County WA Official Website snohomishcountywa gov Archived from the original on 2023 06 07 Retrieved 2024 02 06 Cause Mechanism and Manner of Death Crime Museum Archived from the original on 2023 05 30 Retrieved 2024 02 06 Stark Martha 2000 A physician s guide to clinical forensic medicine Totowa NJ Humana Press p 225 ISBN 0 89603 742 8 Coroners post mortems and inquests nidirect www nidirect gov uk 2015 11 04 Archived from the original on 2019 04 27 Retrieved 2024 02 06 1 Archived 2020 08 04 at the Wayback Machine Figure 1 page 16 Statistics on deaths reported to coroners England and Wales 2008 PDF Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin 7 May 2009 p 17 Archived PDF from the original on 28 April 2019 Retrieved 28 April 2019 Table 6 Inquest verdicts returned 1994 2008Further reading editS A Koehler Chapter 7 Death Investigation Forensic Epidemiology Principles and Practice doi 10 1016 B978 0 12 404584 2 00007 0 External links editDEATH FROM NATURAL CAUSES CERTIFICATE OF TREATING OR EXAMINING DOCTOR Form 3 Burial and Cremation Act 2013 section 10 Australia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Manner of death amp oldid 1204232668 Death by natural causes, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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