Infanticide: live birth: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Infanticide: live birth

Sample item

In a case of suspected infanticide, the lungs of the newborn float in water and crepitate on cutting, and the stomach and intestine also float when placed in water. What do these findings, respectively, suggest?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. The hydrostatic test suggests the child breathed after birth; Breslau's second life test suggests that air was swallowed, so that the child lived for some time

A positive hydrostatic (Fodéré's) test, with floating, crepitant, expanded lungs, shows that respiration occurred. Breslau's second life test shows that the stomach and intestines float because swallowed air has entered, indicating survival for a period. Putrefaction gas can cause false positives, and the tests do not prove the cause of death.

Option by option

  • A. Both tests are positive only when putrefaction is absent

    Putrefaction gases can make the lungs and stomach float, producing false positive results.

  • B. The child was stillborn, because the lungs float only after death

    Stillborn lungs are airless and sink, unless artificially inflated or putrefied.

  • C. The tests prove the cause of death as smothering

    The tests indicate live birth, not the cause of death.

  • D. The hydrostatic test suggests the child breathed after birth; Breslau's second life test suggests that air was swallowed, so that the child lived for some time (correct)

    Correct. Floating lungs indicate that respiration occurred, and floating gut indicates swallowed air.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is D, The hydrostatic test suggests the child breathed after birth; Breslau's second life test suggests that air was swallowed, so that the child lived for some time. A positive hydrostatic (Fodéré's) test, with floating, crepitant, expanded lungs, shows that respiration occurred.

Why is "Both tests are positive only when putrefaction is absent" not the answer?

Putrefaction gases can make the lungs and stomach float, producing false positive results.

Why is "The child was stillborn, because the lungs float only after death" not the answer?

Stillborn lungs are airless and sink, unless artificially inflated or putrefied.

Why is "The tests prove the cause of death as smothering" not the answer?

The tests indicate live birth, not the cause of death.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Infanticide: live birth in Forensic Medicine. Breslau's second life test shows that the stomach and intestines float because swallowed air has entered, indicating survival for a period. Putrefaction gas can cause false positives, and the tests do not prove the cause of death.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Infanticide: live birth?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.