I have a question for anyone who can answer it.
I believe it was Martin Grime who said that a body starts to decompose immediately after death.
If that is so, as some people have been resuscitated when they have died, some even 20 minutes later is he saying that their bodies had started to decompose in that 20 minutes or so?
That is the first time I have seen that question posed, Lace.
It is certainly a fact that studies (no Lyall, I don't have a particular cite as I am speaking generally ... but there are plenty of abstracts printed on the internet which will give you the gist of what is going on, if you care to read them) continue to take place to determine the various rates of decomposition of bodily organs and the order in which this occurs.
I think it is generally accepted that such decomposition starts at the moment of death ... and that is also subject of debate as far as organ donation is concerned in relation to being brain dead.
Perhaps the organs of people who have 'died' and been resuscitated did actually start to decompose but were not damaged because of speedy reactivation???
That's very probably nonsense ... davel is your man for an opinion on this, I think.
Very interesting point you have made though.