[Practical value of post-mortem electrical excitability in determining time of death]

In 35 cases (about 200 single excitations) electrical excitibility of mimic muscles was reexamined according to the method developed by Klein and Klein (1978) with subjective grading of muscular reaction according to the intensity and spread of movement. Instead of "rectangular-like impulses" of some ms duration in a repetition of 30 to 70/sec and 50 V constant-current rectangular impulse of 1 sec duration and 30 mA were used. Nevertheless the determination of the time since death is valid within the calculated 95%--limits of confidence. The 95%--limits of confidence are not valid for cases of fatal hypothermia: here are longer (and shorter) times possible for the special degree. In our opinion examination of electrical excitibility belongs to the minimal standard of methods to be used for determining the time since death in the early postmortem interval. This is discussed in 17 cases where the dates for the special degree of electrical excitability could narrow down the time period since death given by the nomogromn method.