In nineteenth century Edinburgh, murders were committed by sitting on the victim's chest while covering the mouth and nose with a hand. This combined method of homicide, eponymously remembered in forensic literature, is called:

• A Overlaying
• B Mugging
• C Gagging
• D Burking ✓

Explanation

Burking, named after the murderer William Burke, is the combination of smothering by hand over the mouth and nostrils together with compression of the chest, preventing respiratory movement. It leaves minimal external signs, making detection difficult. Mugging is arm-lock strangulation, gagging is airway obstruction by a stuffed or tied object in the mouth, and overlaying is accidental smothering of an infant by an adult sleeping over it. The combination of chest compression plus smothering defines burking.

Reference: Modi's Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology, 26th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.