Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
FORENSIC SCIENCE MEDICINE AND PATHOLOGY, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study reviews historical bedside signs proposed to confirm death and distinguish apparent from actual death in humans, focusing on those described between 1846 and 1984. Each sign is accompanied by brief biographical information on its originator and evaluated for historical significance and contemporary relevance. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and digital archives including Gallica and the Wellcome Collection, supplemented by citation tracking and eponym handbooks. English and non-English terms related to death and eponyms were used. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, resolving disagreements by consensus. Duplicates and nineteenth-century reprints were excluded. Extracted data included the sign's name, year of first report, method of observation, physiological rationale, and biographical notes. Quality was assessed by proximity to primary observations and methodological clarity. Between 1846 and 1984, fourteen named signs of death were described. Except for the Ripault sign, a palpatory ocular finding, all were detected visually. Most were eponymous, while others referenced instruments or biblical narratives. By modality, the signs included ocular, vascular, chemical, mechanical, and radiographic approaches. From the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth centuries, physicians developed a range of bedside signs to differentiate actual from apparent death amid uncertainty about vital signs. These methods, now largely obsolete and sometimes ethically questionable, have been replaced by validated techniques aligned with modern standards for death determination. This progression illustrates the shift from observational bedside practice to standardized neurological criteria and underscores the importance of transparent practices in forensic death determination.