[The determination of the time of death by the content of free amino acids in the liver and lungs of cadavers using high-performance liquid chromatography].

High-performance liquid chromatography is proposed to be used for assessment of the time of death during a fortnight postmortem. The procedure consists in dynamic measurements of the concentrations of 20 free amino acids in cadaveric liver and lungs of subjects dead from mechanical injuries with or without ethanol in the blood at moderately high temperatures (18 to 23 C) and 40-60% humidity. A working diagram for determination of the time of death is offered and diagnostic microblocks consisting of 5 most informative and stable amino acids developed, permitting the diagnosis of the time of death with 95% reliability.