Thanatology: factors affecting body cooling: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Thanatology: factors affecting body cooling

Sample item

Two bodies are found in the same room six hours after death. Body A is an obese man wrapped in a quilt, and body B is a thin man lying naked on a tile floor. Which statement about their rectal temperatures is correct?

ABoth are the same, since cooling depends only on the time since deathBBody A is cooler, because body fat conducts heat away quicklyCBody A is warmer, because obesity, clothing and still air slow heat lossDBody B is warmer, because a naked body radiates less heat

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Body A is warmer, because obesity, clothing and still air slow heat loss

Cooling is slowed by obesity, thick clothing or wrapping, enclosed still air and a high ambient temperature, and quickened by thinness, nakedness, wet conditions, moving air and conducting surfaces. These factors make the temperature a rough guide and widen the error in estimating time since death.

Option by option

A. Both are the same, since cooling depends only on the time since death
Environmental and body factors strongly influence the rate of cooling.
B. Body A is cooler, because body fat conducts heat away quickly
Fat is an insulator and slows heat loss.
C. Body A is warmer, because obesity, clothing and still air slow heat loss (correct)
Correct. Insulation by fat and quilt delays cooling.
D. Body B is warmer, because a naked body radiates less heat
Nakedness and a cold floor increase heat loss.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, Body A is warmer, because obesity, clothing and still air slow heat loss. Cooling is slowed by obesity, thick clothing or wrapping, enclosed still air and a high ambient temperature, and quickened by thinness, nakedness, wet conditions, moving air and conducting surfaces.

Why is "Both are the same, since cooling depends only on the time since death" not the answer?

Environmental and body factors strongly influence the rate of cooling.

Why is "Body A is cooler, because body fat conducts heat away quickly" not the answer?

Fat is an insulator and slows heat loss.

Why is "Body B is warmer, because a naked body radiates less heat" not the answer?

Nakedness and a cold floor increase heat loss.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Thanatology: factors affecting body cooling in Forensic Medicine. These factors make the temperature a rough guide and widen the error in estimating time since death.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Thanatology: factors affecting body cooling?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.