Which term best describes the postmortem cooling of the body?

Which term best describes the postmortem cooling of the body?

• A. Algor Mortis
• B. Rigor Mortis
• C. Lividity
• D. Manner of death

Answer: (A)

Algor mortis is the term for the body's cooling after death as heat diffuses from the body to the surrounding environment. This cooling begins immediately and continues until the body reaches ambient temperature. The rate depends on factors like the surrounding temperature, airflow, clothing or coverings, body size, and insulation. In a typical indoor setting, the body tends to lose heat at roughly one to one-and-a-half degrees Fahrenheit per hour during the early hours, then the rate slows as it approaches ambient temperature. This change helps forensic investigators estimate time since death when considered with other postmortem changes. Rigor mortis is the stiffening of muscles after death, not cooling. Lividity is the settling of blood in dependent areas, causing discoloration. Manner of death is a classification of how death occurred, not a body-change process.

Algor mortis is the term for the body's cooling after death as heat diffuses from the body to the surrounding environment. This cooling begins immediately and continues until the body reaches ambient temperature. The rate depends on factors like the surrounding temperature, airflow, clothing or coverings, body size, and insulation. In a typical indoor setting, the body tends to lose heat at roughly one to one-and-a-half degrees Fahrenheit per hour during the early hours, then the rate slows as it approaches ambient temperature. This change helps forensic investigators estimate time since death when considered with other postmortem changes. Rigor mortis is the stiffening of muscles after death, not cooling. Lividity is the settling of blood in dependent areas, causing discoloration. Manner of death is a classification of how death occurred, not a body-change process.