Cause of death : a writer's guide to death, murder, and forensic medicine
(Book)

pt. I. Death and Dying. 1. Death. Definition of Death. Death and the Dying Process. The Terminal State

pt. II. Medical and Legal Procedures Related to Death. 2. Emergency! ER Procedures, Terminology, Equipment. Evaluation of the Patient and Vital Signs. CPR and Resuscitation. Blood Loss and Shock. Trauma to Head, Chest, Abdomen. Reportable Cases of Rape, Child Abuse, DOA. 3. Declared Dead. Legal Time of Death. Who Declares a Person Dead? How Is It Carried Out? Where Is the Procedure Done? What Criteria Is Used? The Death Certificate. 4. How the Body Is Handled. What Happens to the Body After Death Is Discovered. Religious Beliefs and Customs. Laws Regarding Burial and Disposal of the Body. Cremation, Embalming and Burial. Morgue and Funeral Home. Funeral Director and Mortician. The Coroner and Medical Examiner. What Constitutes a Coroner's Case. 5. Time of Death. Determination of Time of Death. Postmortem Changes of the Body. Rigor Mortis and Lividity. 6. The Autopsy. Which Cases Get Autopsied. Reportable Deaths. Inside the Morgue. Autopsy Description. Medical Evidence. Photography of Body. Toxicology. Identification of Body-Remains. Autopsy of Fetus and Newborn Infant. 7. Murder or Suicide? The Killer Instinct. Suicide. Shooting. Drowning. Asphyxiation by Hanging, Strangulation. Poisoning. Stabbing. 8. Crime and Punishment. History of Executions. Public Executions. State-by-State Laws and Methods. Hanging. Firing Squad. Electric Chair. Gas Chamber. Lethal Injection

pt. III. Causes of Death. 9. Accidents. Accidents in Literature. Death From Nature (Animals, Insects, Mushrooms). Falling (Stairs, Ladder, Roof, Bathtub, Shower). Choking. Death on the Farm. Electrocution. Lightning. Death Among Children. Emergency Medical Services. 10. Sudden Death. Sudden Death in Literature. Sudden Death Defined. Cardiac Causes and Heart Attack. Worked to Death. Stroke. 11. Chronic Illness and Disease. Review of Chronic Illness in Literature. Plagues and Scourges: Tuberculosis, Cholera, AIDS. Brain Injury and Disability. 12. Controversies Involving Death. Emotionally Induced Death and Voodoo. Cryonics. Hospice. Right to Die and Euthanasia. Living Wills.