Post-mortem facial expressions

looksee

I was reading one of those 'genuine ghost stories' books a couple of days ago and noticed that a lot of the stories had people being frightened to death and dying with a look of horror on their face.

Leaving aside the question of whether you can die of fright (unless possibly you had a heart condition) I wonder about the business of faces retaining a look of horror? Surely all the muscles relax when someone dies, so how would they retain any expression at all?

Does anyone have any theories or information about this?

poppyvalley

looksee wrote: »

I was reading one of those 'genuine ghost stories' books a couple of days ago and noticed that a lot of the stories had people being frightened to death and dying with a look of horror on their face.

Leaving aside the question of whether you can die of fright (unless possibly you had a heart condition) I wonder about the business of faces retaining a look of horror? Surely all the muscles relax when someone dies, so how would they retain any expression at all?

Does anyone have any theories or information about this?

Rigormortis sets in almost immediately, so it's quite likely that any look on the dying person's face will "set" after they die:eek:

looksee

poppyvalley wrote: »

Rigormortis sets in almost immediately, so it's quite likely that any look on the dying person's face will "set" after they die:eek:

But in the interval between 'almost' and 'immediately' the muscles would relax?

poppyvalley

looksee wrote: »

But in the interval between 'almost' and 'immediately' the muscles would relax?

no, thats not how it goes. Seen a lot of it ...the look remains frozen,once the pupils stop reacting to light

Capt'n Midnight

poppyvalley wrote: »

Rigormortis sets in almost immediately, so it's quite likely that any look on the dying person's face will "set" after they die:eek:

almost immediately ? - only if the person has depleted most of the ATP in their muscles which is unlikely to happen to the face and it would still take many minutes

usually it's more like 3-12 hours

Don't they manipulate the faces of the dead, to put little smiles and things on them.
To make you feel like they had a pleasant death.

JuliusCaesar

No point manipulating the face of the dead unless you can glue the smile in place. No muscles = no expression, bar slackness of all muscles. Can't even keep eyelids closed - hence the pennies on eyelids at wakes long ago, and tying the jaw closed. Rigor mortis comes a while after death and then wears off again.

housemap

Sort of related but if you die from a spinal injury or are hung you get a permanent boner, it's called angel lust I think.

DublinWriter

Take a look at Oliver Plunkett's head in Drogheda. Even hundreds of years later his countenance is one of displeasure.