In a suspected drowning death, diatoms are demonstrated in the bone marrow of the femur but not in the water sample from the site. The most appropriate interpretation is:

• A The person drowned elsewhere in a different water body
• B The negative water sample invalidates the entire diatom test
• C The finding supports antemortem drowning, provided contamination during sampling is excluded ✓
• D Diatoms in marrow prove postmortem submersion

Explanation

Diatoms reach distant closed organs such as bone marrow only through functioning pulmonary and systemic circulation, so their presence in marrow supports antemortem drowning. Bone marrow is preferred precisely because it is enclosed and least prone to contamination. However, diatom species in marrow should match those in the presumed drowning medium, and laboratory contamination must be excluded. A mismatched water sample raises the possibility of drowning in another water body but does not by itself invalidate the method.

Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 35th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.