Medicolegal Autopsies Practice Questions

Q: What is a chicken fat clot?

Postmortem clot. ### Explanation **Correct Answer: A. Postmortem clot** **Why it is correct:** A **chicken fat clot** is a specific type of postmortem clot that forms when blood settles and clots slowly after death. When the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) is high (common in infectious or inflammatory conditions), red blood cells settle rapidly due to gravity. This results in a layered clot: 1. **Currant jelly appearance:** The bottom layer, rich in RBCs, is dark red and friable. 2. **Chicken fat appearance:** The top layer, composed of fibrin and serum without RBCs, appears pale, yellowish, and translucent, resembling chicken fat. **Why the other options are incorrect:** * **B. Thrombus:** An antemortem (formed during life) blood mass. Unlike postmortem clots, thrombi are firm, friable, dry, and usually attached to the vessel wall. They exhibit **Lines of Zahn** (alternating layers of platelets/fibrin and RBCs), which are absent in postmortem clots. * **C. Infarct:** This refers to an area of tissue necrosis resulting from an interruption in blood supply (ischemia), not a type of blood clot itself. **High-Yield Facts for NEET-PG:** * **Postmortem Clots:** Are rubbery, moist, take the shape of the vessel (like a cast), and are **not attached** to the vessel wall (easily removed). * **Antemortem Thrombi:** Are dry, brittle, and **firmly attached** to the endothelial lining. * **Crucial Distinction:** If a clot is found in the pulmonary artery, distinguishing between a postmortem clot and an antemortem **Pulmonary Thromboembolism** is vital for determining the cause of death. * **Key Feature:** Postmortem clots lack the "Lines of Zahn" seen in antemortem thrombi.

Q: All of the following are tests to determine the stoppage of circulation except?

Mirror held in front of a nostril. **Explanation:** The question asks for the exception among tests used to determine the **stoppage of circulation**. In forensic medicine, the signs of death are categorized into those indicating the cessation of respiration and those indicating the cessation of circulation. **Why Option D is the correct answer:** Holding a **mirror in front of the nostrils** is a test to detect **respiration**, not circulation. If respiration persists, water vapor in the exhaled air condenses on the cool glass surface, causing "fogging." Since the question asks for the exception to circulatory tests, this is the correct choice. **Analysis of Incorrect Options (Tests for Stoppage of Circulation):** * **A. Magnus’s Test:** A finger is tightly ligated with a string. In a living person, the fingertip becomes cyanosed and swollen due to venous congestion. In death, no color change occurs because circulation has ceased. * **B. Diaphanous Test (Bouchut’s Test):** The finger webs are examined against a strong light source. In the living, the webs appear scarlet/red due to capillary blood; in death, they appear yellow/opaque. * **C. Icard’s Test:** Fluorescein dye is injected subcutaneously. If circulation is present, the skin and eyes turn greenish-yellow within minutes. No color change occurs if circulation has stopped. **High-Yield NEET-PG Pearls:** * **Winslow’s Test:** Another test for **respiration** where a saucer of water is placed on the chest; ripples indicate respiratory movement. * **Heat Test:** Applying a hot object to the skin produces a true blister (with vital reaction) in the living, but only a local singeing or "dry" blister in the dead. * **The "Gold Standard":** In modern practice, an **ECG** (for circulation) and **Flat EEG** (for brain death) are the definitive methods, superseding these traditional bedside tests.

Q: Which is the last organ to putrefy after death?

Prostate. **Explanation:** The sequence of putrefaction is a high-yield topic in Forensic Medicine, determined primarily by the muscularity and moisture content of the organ. **Why Prostate is Correct:** The **prostate** (in males) and the **non-gravid uterus** (in females) are the last organs to putrefy. This is due to their dense, fibromuscular structure and relatively low moisture content compared to other viscera. These organs are highly resistant to autolysis and bacterial action, often remaining identifiable even when the rest of the soft tissues have liquefied. This makes them crucial for sex determination in decomposed remains. **Analysis of Incorrect Options:** * **Brain (D):** This is the **first** internal organ to putrefy (along with the larynx and trachea). Due to its high water content and soft consistency, it liquefies rapidly, often becoming a "pinkish-grey paste" within days. * **Stomach (C):** Putrefies early because it contains gastric juices and bacteria, which accelerate autolysis and fermentation. * **Heart (A):** While more resistant than the brain or stomach due to its muscular nature, it putrefies much earlier than the prostate. **NEET-PG High-Yield Pearls:** * **First sign of putrefaction:** Greenish discoloration over the Right Iliac Fossa (due to H₂S reacting with hemoglobin to form sulfhaemoglobin). * **First internal organ to putrefy:** Brain, Larynx, and Trachea. * **Last organ to putrefy (Male):** Prostate. * **Last organ to putrefy (Female):** Non-gravid Uterus. * **Casper’s Dictum:** Rate of putrefaction ratio is **1:2:8** (Air : Water : Earth/Buried). An organ decomposes as much in 1 week in air as it does in 2 weeks in water or 8 weeks underground.

Q: What does Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) deal with?

Police inquest. **Explanation:** **Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)** empowers a police officer (usually the Officer-in-Charge of a police station) to conduct an investigation into cases of unnatural or suspicious deaths. This process is known as a **Police Inquest**. Upon receiving information of a suicide or homicide, the officer informs the nearest Executive Magistrate and proceeds to the spot to prepare an **Inquest Report (Panchnama)**, describing the visible state of the body and apparent cause of death in the presence of two or more witnesses. **Analysis of Options:** * **Option A (Magistrate Inquest):** This is covered under **Section 176 CrPC**. It is mandatory in specific scenarios such as custodial deaths, deaths in psychiatric hospitals, dowry deaths (within 7 years of marriage), or when the police shooting occurs. It is considered superior to a police inquest. * **Option C (Medical Examiner System):** This is a system prevalent in the USA where a doctor (forensic pathologist) conducts the inquest. This system does **not** exist in India. * **Option D:** Incorrect, as Section 174 specifically defines the police's role in death investigations. **High-Yield NEET-PG Pearls:** * **Section 174 CrPC:** Police Inquest (Most common type of inquest in India). * **Section 176 CrPC:** Magistrate Inquest (Mandatory for custodial deaths). * **Section 175 CrPC:** Power of the police to summon witnesses during an inquest. * **Coroner’s Inquest:** Formerly practiced in Mumbai and Kolkata; it was abolished in India in 1999. * The lowest-ranking police officer authorized to conduct an inquest is a **Sub-Inspector**.

Q: The "Brauslaw second life test" is used to assess function of which organ?

Stomach. **Explanation:** The **Breslau’s Second Life Test** (also known as the Gastrointestinal Hydrostatic Test) is a medicolegal procedure used to determine whether a newborn was born alive or was a stillbirth. **Why the correct answer is right:** The test is based on the principle that a live-born infant who breathes will inevitably swallow air. This air travels from the esophagus into the **stomach** and intestines. During autopsy, the stomach and intestines are ligated at both ends, removed, and placed in water. If they float, it indicates the presence of air, suggesting the infant breathed and swallowed air (a sign of live birth). **Why the incorrect options are wrong:** * **Lung:** The test for lungs is the **Raygat’s Hydrostatic Test** (or Icard’s test). While both tests assess live birth, Breslau’s specifically focuses on the gastrointestinal tract to corroborate lung findings. * **Liver & Heart:** These organs do not contain air/gas under normal physiological conditions at birth and do not float in water unless significant decomposition (putrefaction) has occurred. They are not used in "life tests." **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **Sequence of Floating:** In a live-born, air reaches the stomach first, then the duodenum, and finally the large intestine. * **False Positives:** The test can be falsely positive due to **putrefaction** (gas formation) or **artificial respiration** (mouth-to-mouth). * **False Negatives:** The test can be falsely negative if the infant breathed but died immediately before swallowing air, or if the organs are heavily congested/diseased. * **Wredin’s Test:** Another life test involving the **middle ear** (disappearance of the gelatinous cushion).

Q: The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act is applied to all of the following except –

Nicotine. ### Explanation **Correct Answer: A. Nicotine** The **Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985**, was enacted to control and regulate operations relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. **Why Nicotine is the correct answer:** Nicotine is classified as a stimulant and is the primary addictive substance in tobacco. However, it is **not** regulated under the NDPS Act. Instead, tobacco and nicotine products are governed by the **COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act), 2003**. While nicotine is toxic in high doses, it does not fall under the legal definition of a "narcotic" or "psychotropic" substance as defined by the 1985 Act. **Analysis of Incorrect Options:** * **B. Cocaine:** Derived from the Coca leaf, it is a potent stimulant specifically listed under the NDPS Act. Possession or sale carries heavy legal penalties. * **C. Heroin:** Also known as Diacetylmorphine, it is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine. It is one of the most strictly regulated substances under the NDPS Act. * **D. Opioids:** This category includes natural opiates (like Morphine and Codeine) and synthetic opioids. These are the primary substances the NDPS Act was designed to regulate due to their high potential for abuse and dependence. **High-Yield Clinical Pearls for NEET-PG:** * **NDPS Act (1985):** Came into force on 14th November 1985. It prohibits the cultivation, manufacture, sale, and consumption of scheduled drugs except for medical/scientific purposes. * **Punishment:** The Act is known for its stringent penalties, which are based on the **quantity** of the drug seized (Small Quantity vs. Commercial Quantity). * **Section 27:** Deals with punishment for the consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance. * **Section 31A:** Previously allowed for the death penalty for repeat offenders in specific cases (though judicial trends have shifted towards life imprisonment).

Question 1

For autopsy studies, in which preservative is brain tissue typically stored?

Accepted Answer

10% formalin

Answer

Normal saline

Answer

EDTA

Answer

Sodium fluoride (NaF)

Question 2

For diatoms, what is the best site for sample collection?

Accepted Answer

Bone marrow in femur

Answer

Lungs

Answer

Bone marrow in Ulna

Answer

Muscle

Question 3

What is a chicken fat clot?

Accepted Answer

Postmortem clot

Answer

Thrombus

Answer

Infarct

Answer

All of the above

Question 4

All of the following are tests to determine the stoppage of circulation except?

Accepted Answer

Mirror held in front of a nostril

Answer

Magnus's test

Answer

Diaphanous test

Answer

Icard's test

Question 5

Which is the last organ to putrefy after death?

Accepted Answer

Prostate

Answer

Heart

Answer

Stomach

Answer

Brain

Question 6

Which body cavity is opened first during a post-mortem examination?

Accepted Answer

Thorax

Answer

Head

Answer

Neck

Answer

Abdomen

Question 7

What does Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) deal with?

Accepted Answer

Police inquest

Answer

Magistrate inquest

Answer

Medical Examiner inquest

Answer

None of the above

Question 8

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) should optimally be collected within how many hours after death?

Accepted Answer

4-6 hours

Answer

12-16 hours

Answer

16-20 hours

Answer

20-24 hours

Question 9

The "Brauslaw second life test" is used to assess function of which organ?

Accepted Answer

Stomach

Answer

Lung

Answer

Liver

Answer

Heart

Question 10

The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act is applied to all of the following except –

Accepted Answer

Nicotine

Answer

Cocaine

Answer

Heroin

Answer

Opioids

Medicolegal Autopsies — MCQs

Medicolegal Autopsies — MCQs

On this page

Practice by Chapter

Want unlimited practice?