Post-mortem erection

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A post-mortem erection (from Latin post "after" and mors "death") is an erection after death. This can happen if a man dies in a vertical or hanging position or with his face to the ground and the corpse remains in this position after death . It is a special form of priapism .

root cause

This type of erection is a congestion of blood that is created by the gravity of the outflowing blood, which is no longer distributed in the body by the blood circulation and the heart pressure. Like all freely moving parts of the mass, the blood collects in the lowest parts of the body and creates edema and swellings there, the associated discoloration is known as death spots ( livor mortis ). The deepest points of a person who has died vertically are the feet, which fill with blood up to their elastic limit, after which the blood accumulates up the legs up to the hips. Since the blood cannot penetrate further down from here, it collects in the penis, which is equipped with erectile tissue and becomes erect as a result of the influx of blood. This effect lasts as long as the body stays in the position.

Occur

Post-mortem erections are most common in men who have been hanged, shot in the head, or poisoned.

An already existing priapism can also be retained post-mortem, for example in the case of septicemia due to extensive venous thromboses in the pelvic plexus that spread to the erectile tissue .

In forensics , the post-mortem erection provides clues about the cause of death.

Thematization in art

During the Renaissance , the male genitalia was artistically staged on the body of Christ ( Ostentatio genitalium ). In 1983, the art historian Leo Steinberg referred to the depiction of post-mortem erections in October magazine .

James Joyce addressed the post-mortem erection in the "Cyclops" section of his novel Ulysses .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Barbara Herlihy: The Human Body in Health and Illness. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2014. ISBN 9781455756421 . P. 495
  2. ↑ Ozzy Osbourne , Chris Ayres: Ask Dr. Ozzy: The ultimate rock'n'rollers enlighten. Heyne, 2012. ISBN 9783641081294 . P. 288
  3. ↑ Callomon, Fabry, Fischl, Frei, Frühwald, Lipschüt, Mayer, Da Rocha Lima, Scherber, Stümpke: Ulcus molle and other diseases of the urogenital organs. Springer, 2013. ISBN 9783642478291 . P. 209
  4. ^ Leo Steinberg: The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion. In: October No. 25, (Sommer) 1983, pp. 1–222. Reprint: Pantheon Books, New York, 1983.
  5. ↑ Yann Tholoniat: An Analysis of "Cyclops" in James Joyce's Ulysses. P. 2