Asphyxial deaths: 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 · Asphyxial deaths

Sample item

A body is recovered from a canal and the police ask whether the man was alive when he entered the water. Which finding best supports ante-mortem drowning?

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

The answer and the reasoning

A. Diatoms demonstrated in bone marrow or other closed organs

Diatoms reach distant organs such as bone marrow, liver and kidney only if the heart is beating and circulates water inhaled into the lungs. Their presence in closed organs therefore supports drowning during life, though it is interpreted along with other findings.

Option by option

  • A. Diatoms demonstrated in bone marrow or other closed organs (correct)

    Correct. Transport to closed organs requires circulation during life.

  • B. Goose-flesh of the skin

    Goose-flesh may occur from cold or cadaveric spasm of the arrector pili and does not prove drowning.

  • C. Wrinkled washerwoman skin of the hands and feet

    Washerwoman skin develops with prolonged immersion even after death.

  • D. Water in the stomach

    Water in the stomach can be swallowed or enter passively after death, so it is not reliable.

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.

More Forensic Medicine questions

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, Diatoms demonstrated in bone marrow or other closed organs. Diatoms reach distant organs such as bone marrow, liver and kidney only if the heart is beating and circulates water inhaled into the lungs.

Why is "Goose-flesh of the skin" not the answer?

Goose-flesh may occur from cold or cadaveric spasm of the arrector pili and does not prove drowning.

Why is "Wrinkled washerwoman skin of the hands and feet" not the answer?

Washerwoman skin develops with prolonged immersion even after death.

Why is "Water in the stomach" not the answer?

Water in the stomach can be swallowed or enter passively after death, so it is not reliable.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Asphyxial deaths in Forensic Medicine. Their presence in closed organs therefore supports drowning during life, though it is interpreted along with other findings.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. 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 Asphyxial deaths?

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.