by Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony on January 28th, 2005

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What is the difference between manner of death and cause of death?

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by Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony on January 28th, 2005
In the U.S. and as I understand it in most places, the manner of death falls into one of five categories: Natural, accidental, suicide, homicide, undetermined.

The cause of death is how the individual died. For example: blunt force trauma, asphyxiation, overdose, et cetera.
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- You figure there isn't anything we don't know between the two of us? LOL
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  by Drinking Dano on January 29th, 2005
- Now I finally know the difference! Thanks
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  by Theby on April 29th, 2009
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by tracilee25 on March 24th, 2009
Okay I am looking for answers.

My son (3 1/2 months) was found by me on November 23, 2008 dead. I woke up to find that he had passed in his sleep.

Yes we were co sleeping. But he was at least 2 feet away from me in the bed. We dont share covers and I do not move or roll. Never have and I have slept with all 5 of my kids for the first 4 months.

His cause of death has been listed as Sudden Unexplained Death due to bedsharing. His manner is still pending. Im so confused.
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- Sorry to hear of your loss tracilee25. My condonences to you. Salaam
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  by Theby on April 29th, 2009
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by CaptainJaneway on January 9th, 2008
There are 5 manners of death: NASHU
1) Natural
2) Accidental
3) Suicide
4) Homicide
5) Undetermined

In my mort sci program, it was explained to us that Cause of death was the specific manner, such as "Hung himself in his garage" and can be considered private, wheras manner of death would be suicide and would be public.
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- Great concise answer. I like the acronym too! I'm going to give that to my students to help them remember... :)
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  by Teri00 on January 9th, 2008
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by cesarea on October 2nd, 2009
Sorry Angeleve, your answer is not correct when you say that asphyxiation? (asphyxia) and blunt trauma to the head are manner of death. Please document yourself before give an opinion, so people do not get confused.Check CaptainJaneway answer.
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by Angeleve on December 20th, 2006
These two terms are widely used throught out the criminal community. Usually if there is a death and it is a natrual causes death,the coroner or medical examier will use "cause of death". Assuming that there are no supsicions on how the death occured. Example: Hosiptal , hospice terminal illness etc. This term will be needed to use on the death certificate later. Insurance and other interested parties will be able to detemine if they pay life insurance all that mumbo jumbo...

Ok on a criminal aspect of things the coroner will then be using manner of death and cause of death. Both are important to the investigation because both of these terms will determine how the perp will be tired in court. Manner of death was asphyxiation or blunt trauma to the head. So if you have a perp that killed someone and you are trying him for it, if there is no specifics all will be circumstancial and even if he loses his time maybe 10 years. Were if you have the actual "manner of death" in which he killed the victim , then he can get 50 to life.

So there are differences on the wording but all is really for legal and court purposes.
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- Actually, "manner of death" is one of the five categories described in Andersen777's answer. Forensic pathologists make a very clear distinction between manner and cause, since the US standardized death certificate requires it to be so. A copy of that can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/DEATH11-03final-ACC.pdf
  
  (Section 32 - cause... section 37 - manner)
  
  Line a should have the immediate cause; mode of dying, such as cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest is insufficient information and should only be used when followed by conditions such as arrhythmia due to ischemic cardiac disease.
  Line b should indicate the condition that gave rise to the immediate cause, e.g. renal failure (line a) myocardial infarction (line a) due to coronary
  artery disease (line b). Underlying cause should be listed last.
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  by Teri00 on December 21st, 2006
- You are correct, but when someone dies of natrual causes it is not always the case. I see it far to often on a death certificate where there was not pathologist involved.
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  by Angeleve on December 22nd, 2006
- I'm not being argumentative, but if the doctor is using the standard US death certificate that the CDC requires, then they have to make a clear distinction between manner (homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, undetermined, pending further investigation) and cause (medical reason, sometimes called "mode of death") - it's just part of the form. Are you outside the US, perhaps? I'd be interested to see the difference, if so....
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  by Teri00 on December 22nd, 2006
- No I am in Texas and I do agree with you in the forms. I see them everyday through out my workday. And in a situation where there is a homicide you are correct they do fill in all form. But I also see so many where there was a terminal illness and it is filled in with simply cause of death. and remeber that in a situation where there was an explanation to the death as in your example manner of death is not really questions. Manner of death is only important in a criminal investigation. I am not questioning the regualtions the gov has , I am simply stating what I see, day in and day out.
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  by Angeleve on December 22nd, 2006
- OK, so you're seeing the doctors only put in cause and not manner? That's a shame, since it's part of the information gathered by the CDC for data reporting. If you have a good relationship with the doctors, you might want to let them know that the CDC's manual on physicians (not MEOs or coroners) filling out the death certificate states that they should complete that section, even if to only mark "natural." Now could what you're seeing be the difference in the pronouncing physician and the certifying physician? The pronouncing doc only has to go up to section 31 - the certifying doc has to complete 32-37 (assuming they are doing as the CDC requires).
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  by Teri00 on December 22nd, 2006
- I have no relationhsip with the doctors. I am in the Legal/ Criminal Investigation end of the totem pole. So what I see is the actual death certificate and or MEO Coroners reports.
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  by Angeleve on December 22nd, 2006
- Interesting - I am a CSI and our MEOs are very serious about differentiating manner and cause, and make sure to document that completely, even on naturals, pendings, and unknowns that aren't my responsibility. Ah well, we might have just a very by-the-book Chief MEO in my jurisdiction. :)
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  by Teri00 on December 22nd, 2006
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by Drinking Dano on January 28th, 2005
This depends on the jurisdiction you are in. Some places make no distinction between the two.

Here in Ontario, (Which I think is the norm) the �Manner of Death� refers to the situation in which a person dies. Were the bound and gagged? Where they drugged, raped, beat ETC

The �Cause of Death� is exactly that. The cause of one�s death.

So, one could say that the �Manner of death� was to be drugged and pushed in to a lake which resulted in the �Cause of Death� being drowning.
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- lacks support; where are my references, my links?
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  by Answers101 on March 18th, 2006
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What is the difference between manner of death and cause of death?

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