Do you know what happens to your body after your heart stops beating — and why a bleeding corpse can appear in certain stages of decomposition?
Within seconds of death, the oxygen in your body is depleted. Soon after, blood settles in the lowest parts of the body (livor mortis), followed by the stiffening of muscles known as rigor mortis.
As time passes, the body begins to cool, entering a stage known as algor mortis.
Once the heart stops pumping, blood circulation ceases entirely. Without movement, the blood begins to coagulate, forming clots and becoming thicker in texture.
However, this does not mean the body completely stops releasing fluids after death.
Under normal conditions, the bacteria in the intestines continue their activity after death, breaking down internal tissues and producing gases that expand into the body’s cavities and surrounding tissues.
These gases cause noticeable bloating, particularly around the abdomen and face. As internal pressure builds, fluids or gases may escape through natural openings such as the mouth, nose, or rectum, and swelling can sometimes make the eyes or tongue appear slightly more prominent. These are normal physical changes associated with the natural process of putrefaction.
This stage of decomposition can also cause small amounts of blood-stained fluid to seep from the nose and mouth. Although this is a scientifically recognised part of the body’s breakdown, different cultures throughout time may have interpreted a “bleeding corpse” in various symbolic or spiritual ways.
A bleeding corpse and cruentation in medieval Europe
“Cruentation” was one of the medieval methods once used to determine guilt in suspected murder cases. It was based on the belief that a victim’s body would spontaneously bleed in the presence of the murderer.
This practice appeared in various regions, including Germany, Poland, Bohemia, Scotland, and even some European colonies in North America.
When murder was suspected, the accused would be brought before the corpse and instructed to place their hands on it. If the wounds were seen to bleed, the accused was considered guilty.
Before modern forensic science, it is easy to see how people could be wrongly suspected, as decomposition was not well understood and a corpse’s natural release of blood-stained fluids could be misinterpreted as a supernatural sign of guilt.
In old Chinese superstition, a bleeding corpse meant a relative recognised the dead person.
Among some Chinese communities in the past, including Sarawakian Chinese in the 1940s, there was an ancient superstition that a corpse would begin to bleed – usually from the nose – when recognised by a family member.
In November 1947, a body was found floating in the Sarawak River. According to a report in the Sarawak Gazette, the corpse was brought to the steps of Pangkalan Batu, where a European police officer “of impeccable observation and indubitable integrity” took charge of the case.
A Chinese man soon arrived, believing the deceased might be his missing brother. To confirm, he brought his sister, who immediately identified the body.
At that moment, a small amount of blood began to trickle from the corpse’s nose.
A dresser present at the scene informed the officer that, according to local superstition, this meant the deceased had been recognised by a relative.
Do you know any more superstitions behind a bleeding corpse? Share with us in the comment box.
