[HPforGrownups] Re: The effects of Avada Kedavra

[Andrew MacIan]

No: HPFGUIDX 32839

Greetings from Andrew!

A comment on what constitutes proof of cause of death
(COD) drawn from forensics and writing...

--- brewpub44 <brewpub44 at earthlink.net> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "grey_wolf_c"
> >  
> > 
> > However, since death from fear 
> > is normally a heart-attack, and the Riddles were
> in perfect health 
> > (apart from the fact that they were dead), we
> should discount that 
> > posibility.
> 
> I'm not so sure you can discount that. I think if an
> autopsy was 
> done, a coroner would have detected they did die of
> a heart attack, 
> but they were also in perfect health. In other
> words, their hearts 
> just gave out, but there was no reason for it (no
> congenital defects, 
> no weight problem, arteriosclerosis, etc.)

And in the end, *all* deaths can be ascribed to
cardiac failure.  No matter that the victim has a hole
blown in his chest from a .45 from short range, or has
been  done in by method X.

However, given the state of forensics when the Riddles
 died, it would have been difficult to derive a valid
COD from the bodies that would have justified any
other inquest verdict than 'cardiac failure'.  The
level of knowledge about derivative enzymes and their
levels, or amino acid levels after (e.g.) a myocardial
infarct simply weren't at the level of knowledge that
we have today.

So being able to say that they were in perfect heath,
just dead, is reasonable.

These days, given that a corpse is not left in the
desert or in sea water for a week, the level of
sensitivity available in a modern forensic lab would
given a more definitive answer as to the COD of a
person hit with the applicable spell.

Cheers,

Drieux

..see what being handfasted with a bio-sciences person
can do to...ewrm...*for* an author?



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