Professor Burkhard Madea is a world-renowned Forensic Pathologist and is the author of approx. 40 books and 700 papers. He earned his medical license in 1982, working as a Medical Doctor in the German Army from 1983-1984. He studied postgraduate Forensic Medicine at the University of Münster until continuing his Forensic studies at the University of Cologne 1985-1989. In 1991 he was appointed as Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Cologne, until 1996 where he was appointed as Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bonn. There he was also appointed as Head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine until his retirement in autumn, 2022.

Preface to the Third Edition. Preface to the Fourth Edition. Editor Biography. List of Contributors. General Remarks on Estimating the Time Since Death. Historical Review on Early Work on Estimating the Time Since Death. Supravitality in Tissues. Rigor Mortis: Estimation of the Time Since Death by Evaluation of Cadaveric Rigidity. Post-mortem Lividity: Hypostasis and Timing of Death. Post-mortem Body Cooling and Temperature-Based Methods. Basics and Application of the 'Nomogram Method' at the Scene. Finite Element Method in Temperature-Based Death Time Determination. The Prism Method. The Use of Temperatures Recorded from the External Auditory Canal. for the Estimation of the Post-mortem Intervalt. Eye Temperature and the Time Since Death. Autolysis, Putrefactive Changes and Post-mortem Chemistry. Autolysis (Self-digestion). Eye Changes After Death. Potassium Levels Combined with Age and Temperature. Estimation of Time Since Death Based on Vitreous Humour Hypoxanthine and Temperature Measurement. Cerebrospinal Fluid Chemistry. Estimation of Duration of Immersion. H3-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Post-mortem Protein Degradation. DNA/RNA Degradation and Time Since Death. Gastric Contents and Time Since Death. Immunohistochemical Methods as an Aid in Estimating the Time Since Death. Practical Casework. Integration of Different Methods in Casework. Conditional Probability in Death Time Estimation. Forensic Entomology. Radiocarbon Dating: Basic Principles and Applications. Cross-Sectional Imaging and the Post-mortem Interval. Drug Testing in Hair for the Estimation of the Time Since Death. Index.