A body found indoors 10 hours after death shows small, brownish-black, triangular patches on the exposed portion of the sclera on both sides of the cornea. The conjunctiva over these areas is dried and slightly shrunken. This finding represents:
- A Petechial haemorrhage of asphyxia
- B Early corneal opacification from autolysis
- C Tache noire due to postmortem drying of exposed sclera ✓
- D Subconjunctival ecchymosis from strangulation
Explanation
Tache noire consists of brownish-black, triangular patches of dried, discoloured sclera adjacent to the cornea, appearing within a few hours when the eyelids remain incompletely closed and the exposed sclera dries. It is a normal postmortem change caused by evaporation and has no pathological significance. Petechiae of asphyxia are discrete, reddish-purple and located in the conjunctivae rather than as dried scleral patches, and they would be accompanied by other signs of asphyxia. Corneal opacity is a diffuse haziness, not a triangular scleral patch.
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.