الفهرس 
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Abstract
When a person dies no matter what the cause of death, their corpse proceeds to go through numerous physical changes as well as chemical processes. Through these changes and processes, forensic scientists are able to approximate the elapse time since the last moment the person was alive, with this information, investigators are able to verify whether a suspects alibi would be acceptable enough to prove his or her innocence otherwise to prove guilty. This elapsed time since death is known as the post mortem interval (PMI) of a corpse. br The correct determination of PMI is an important goal in medico legal investigation. Recent advances in the methods for estimating time since death have enabled the forensic expert to determine post-mortem interval more precisely. Since the 1850s, scientists have been working on different methods to determine post-mortem interval. br Earlier methods were based on body cooling, rigor mortis, changes in the eye, putrefaction, and contents of stomach. These methods were relatively crude and only an approximate time could be estimated. Due to the lack of precision the focus has now been shifted to biochemical methods. The biochemical methods are based on systematic pathophysiological changes and are found to be more accurate since the effect of external conditions is less, also Postmortem biochemistry may provide significant information in determining the cause of death. br Many body fluids are used for biochemical analysis for determination of postmortem interval and cause of death such as vitrous humour, spinal fluid, synovial fluid and pericardial fluid. br The aim of this study was determination of postmortem interval and cause of death through analysis of pericardial fluid in dead human. br This study was done on 100 cases, 63 male and 37 female and the age ranged -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; 2-60 years. These cases died and brought to the mortuary for dissection for medicolegal purposes with the help of medicolegal authorities, El-Minia departement -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; January to November 2013, and the laboratory part is done in faculty of medicine, El Minia University. The cases are divided according to postmortem interval into four groups, first group to ≤6 hs, second group -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; 6 to -lt; 12 hs, third group -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; 12 to ≤ 24hs, fourth group -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; -gt; 24 hs to 30 hs. The cases are divided into 3 groups according to cause of death, first group included traumatic death, second group included cases died -#102;-#114;-#111;-#109; poisoning, third group included thermal injuries death.