Putrefaction would be expected to progress MOST rapidly in a body dead from:

• A Massive haemorrhage from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy
• B Chronic arsenic poisoning
• C Suicidal cyanide ingestion
• D Acute septicaemia from perforated typhoid ulcer ✓

Explanation

Septicaemia seeds putrefactive organisms throughout the circulation before death, so bacterial spread begins almost immediately and decomposition is markedly accelerated. Haemorrhage, cyanide and arsenic all retard putrefaction: exsanguination removes the fluid medium for bacterial transport, while cyanide and arsenic have preservative effects on tissues. This acceleration-versus-retardation list is a standard viva point in Indian forensic examinations.

Reference: Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.