Death by natural causes
Encyclopedia
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroner
s and on death certificate
s and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza
(an infection) or a heart attack (an internal body malfunction) would be listed as having died of natural causes. Old age
is not a scientifically recognized cause of death
; there is always a more direct cause although it may be unknown in certain cases and could be one of a number of aging-associated diseases
.
In contrast, death caused by active intervention is called unnatural death
. The "unnatural" causes are usually given as accident
(implying no unreasonable voluntary risk), misadventure
(accident following a wilful and dangerous risk), suicide
, or homicide
. In some settings, other categories may be added. For example, a prison
may track the deaths of inmates
due to acute intoxication separately.
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
s and on death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
s and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
(an infection) or a heart attack (an internal body malfunction) would be listed as having died of natural causes. Old age
Old age
Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
is not a scientifically recognized cause of death
Cause of Death
Cause of Death is a 1990 album by American death metal band Obituary. Cause of Death is considered a classic album in the history of death metal. The artwork was done by artist Michael Whelan...
; there is always a more direct cause although it may be unknown in certain cases and could be one of a number of aging-associated diseases
Aging-associated diseases
An aging-associated disease is a disease that is seen with increasing frequency with increasing senescence. Age-associated diseases are to be distinguished from the aging process itself because all adult animals age, but not all adult animals experience all age-associated diseases...
.
In contrast, death caused by active intervention is called unnatural death
Unnatural death
Unnatural death is a category used by coroners and vital statistics specialists for classifying all human deaths not properly describable as death by natural causes...
. The "unnatural" causes are usually given as accident
Accident
An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...
(implying no unreasonable voluntary risk), misadventure
Misadventure
Misadventure can refer to:* Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures, a 2005 video game* The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, a 1964 Walt Disney film* The Misadventures of P.B...
(accident following a wilful and dangerous risk), suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, or homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
. In some settings, other categories may be added. For example, a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
may track the deaths of inmates
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
due to acute intoxication separately.
External links
- Death by Natural Causes
- What is death by natural causes?
- Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry, Annex A: 'Unnatural death' and 'death by natural causes'
- Actual Causes of Death in the US, 2000