Death Investigation & Scene Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real ABFM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Death Investigation & Scene Analysis flashcards as text
The Henssge nomogram is used in forensic pathology primarily to:
Answer: Estimate postmortem interval using rectal and ambient temperature along with body weight
The Henssge nomogram is a mathematical tool that estimates postmortem interval by comparing rectal body temperature to ambient temperature, accounting for body weight.
Which insect order is typically the first to colonize a human body after death in temperate climates?
Answer: Diptera (flies)
Blowflies (Calliphoridae, order Diptera) are usually the first colonizers, arriving within minutes to hours of death, attracted by decomposition odors.
The postmortem transformation of body fat into a waxy, soap-like substance is known as:
Answer: Adipocere formation
Adipocere (saponification) occurs when body fat undergoes hydrolysis and solidifies in moist, anaerobic burial environments, preserving the body's shape.
Under which circumstance should a medical examiner typically assume jurisdiction over a death?
Answer: When death is sudden, unexpected, violent, or of unknown cause
Medical examiners take jurisdiction over sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious, work-related, or unknown-cause deaths regardless of whether criminal activity is initially suspected.
Petechial hemorrhages found in the conjunctiva and sclera at autopsy most commonly suggest:
Answer: Asphyxia or compression of cervical vessels
Petechiae in the eyes result from elevated venous pressure rupturing capillaries, classically seen in asphyxia, strangulation, or other neck compression.
Which of the following best describes mummification as a postmortem change?
Answer: Desiccation and dehydration of tissues that inhibits decomposition and preserves the body
Mummification occurs when rapid moisture loss through desiccation in hot, dry, or well-ventilated environments inhibits bacterial decomposition, preserving the body.
Which of the following is correctly classified as a natural manner of death?
Answer: Death from ischemic heart disease
A natural manner of death results entirely from disease or internal biological processes; ischemic heart disease has no external contributing factor, unlike the other options.