Title : Diatomological analysis in cases of death by submersion
Abstract:
In biology, any organic remains observable under the common biological microscope of plant or animal origin are called palynomorphs. Limnology, a science that deals with the study of the ecology of freshwater bodies, the main source of information applicable to forensic phycology research has to do with the characterization of aquatic plants and algae (diatoms). The presence of diatoms in the marrow of a victim's bones is indicative of death by submersion in a natural body of fresh water, these particles are incorporated into the lungs and from there pass into the bloodstream and are sent to the different organs and parts of the body. The drowning victim experiences death by asphyxiation due to the passage of fluids into the airway. In forensic laboratories in Argentina, the diagnosis of death by submersion was only confirmed by the search for geoplankton (birefringent mineral particles). To obtain sediment samples at the site of discovery and within a body of water, it must be extracted from a site not very close to the shore and for the preservation of the sample until its reception in the forensic laboratory, approximately 40 ml of formaldehyde should be added for each liter of sample obtained. However, the sediment from the shore of a body of water as a place of study serves to relate and compare with the material recovered from the victim, whether it is the soles of shoes or material recovered from a car that could have been used as a means of transporting a corpse. In some cases of submersion death, the presence of phytoplankton is not a sufficient accurate indicator of submersion death. A comparative study of the species of microalgae and phytoplankton found in the cadaveric tissues of a body and in the aquatic environment where the corpse was recovered could determine the site of the submersion.
