AUTOPSY

By
Dr.
Aishwarya
  Autopsy is also called as
- Necropsy
- Postmortem examination.
INTRODUCTI  Autopsy is a scientific & systemic study of dead body.
ON  Auto- self, Opis- view: to see for oneself.
 Necros- dead, Opis- view: them most accurate term for
the investigative dissection of the dead body.
  Autopsies are of 3 types:
1. Clinical or pathological autopsy,
2. Medicolegal autopsy,
3. Anatomical autopsy.
Clinical/Pathological/Academic Autopsy-

CLASSIFICATI  To determine the disease causing death. A Pathologist performs it

with consent of the relative of the deceased.
ON Medicolegal Autopsy-
 To solve mysterious unnatural death. A forensic pathologist or
medicolegal expert preferably does it.
 In India, due to lack of adequate qualified experts, all RMP’s can
perform this with authorization by State.
Anatomical Autopsy-
 To learn the normal structure of the human body by medical
students.
 Clinical autopsy:
 Obtain consent from the relatives.
 Here the autopsy may be complete or incomplete (partial) depending
upon the consent obtained for that part of body. No requisition from
police is required
Medicolegal autopsy:
 No consent is required but legal permission or authorization is a must.

Consent  It is carried out under the laws of State only on the requisition of a
legal authority responsible for the investigation of sudden, suspicious
or unnatural death.
 The legal authority is usually a police officer not below the rank of sub-
inspector or an Executive Magistrate.
Anatomical autopsy:
 It is usually done on an unclaimed dead body, handed over to anatomy
department by government authority. Here permission must be
obtained from government authority
 It is also performed on the voluntarily donated dead body. In this
consent from the legal heirs is essential prior to the dissection.
 An anatomist performs this.
  It is a postmortem examination without compromising the
integrity of the body, even without collection of sample.
 Due to some reason or disease the autopsy of dead body is
not possible then by the help of radiological examination we
can detect the cause of death..
VIRTUAL  X-rays, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI.

AUTOPSY
  A medicolegal autopsy is thus a special type of postmortem
examination, ordered by the government/legal authorities in
all unnatural deaths, such as homicide, suicide, accident.
Objectives for Medicolegal Autopsy
1. To determine the cause of death
2. To determine the manner of death
MEDICOLEG 3. To estimate time since death
AL 4. To establish identity of deceased when not known

AUTOPSY 5. To collect evidences to identify the object causing death

and to identify criminal
6. To document injuries and to deduce how the injuries
occurred
7. To retain relevant organs/viscera and tissues as evidence
8. In newborn infants – to determine the issues of live birth
and viability
 1. Medicolegal autopsy should be conducted by Registered Medical Practitioner only.
2. Medicolegal autopsy should be conducted only on receiving official order from the
authority, authorizing to conduct autopsy.
3. The autopsy should be conducted at the earliest & should be done in daylight
because color changes such as jaundice, changes in contusion, postmortem
artefacts, changes in postmortem lividity etc. cannot be appreciated in artificial
light.
4. Whenever dead body is sent for medicolegal autopsy, it should be accompanied by
a dead body challan and an inquest report.
- A dead body challan is a requisition form contains name, age, sex, address along
with probable date and time of death, date and time of examination of dead body.

Rules - An inquest report is preliminary investigation to ascertain the matter of fact, the
details of body, presence of any injury etc.
5. Autopsy should be done at authorized center, preferably well-equipped mortuary.
6. The doctor-conducting autopsy should carefully read the inquest report and
requisition along with treatment record, if available.
7. The body should be identified by police accompanying the body
8. No unauthorized person should be allowed to be present at autopsy
9. Video recording – in case of death occurring in custody, video recording should be
done and the video tape should be send to the Human Right Commission by doctor
himself.
10. Visit to scene of crime- Examination of scene of crime, though neglected aspect in
India, is important and may provide evidence or clues to the nature and
circumstances of crime.
  Autopsy report consist of following parts
1. Introductory part/ Preamble- in this part name, age,
sex, and residence of deceased is mentioned. The place
from where the body was brought, date and time of
Autopsy examination of dead body, mention of authority ordering
the examination are included.
Report 2. Examination part- it consists of external examination
and internal examination and findings recorded by doctor.
3. Opinion or conclusion- the opinion regarding the cause
of death is given. The opinion is deduced from autopsy
findings.
  For conducting autopsy along with well-equipped mortuary,
instruments and chemicals are required.

Requiremen
ts
  Procedures vary and depend on the skill and experience of forensic expert.
External Examination
 It is the most important part of the medicolegal autopsy procedure as most of the
information gathered at this stage can always help a lot in solving the most mysterious
deaths. This includes examination of:
a. Clothes
b. Stains of mud, blood, urine, stool, etc.
c. Identity
d. Body orifices
e. Finger/toe-nails

PROCEDUR f. Injuries/surgical intervention

g. Rigor mortis
E h. Postmortem staining
i. Decomposition/other changes.
Internal Examination
 This includes dissection and examination of the three major body cavities and their
contents, namely:
1. Skull/cranial cavity
2. Thoracic cavity
3. Abdominal cavity.
4. Dissection of spinal cord (when indicated)
5. Dissection of extremities (when indicated)
  Clothing: They are listed and their number, labels and laundry marks,
design, stains, tears, loss of buttons, cuts, holes or blackening from
firearm discharges with their dimensions should be noted.
 Trace evidence like hair, fibres, paint chips, glass fragments, vegetation
and insect are collected, labeled and preserved.
 Jewelry may provide evidence of identification,
 Pockets may contain medication/ drugs of abuse and personal papers
External may help in identification and provide medical history.
 The clothes should be removed carefully without tearing them, to avoid
Examinatio confusion of signs of struggle.

n  If they cannot be removed intact, they should be cut in an area away

from any bullet hole or cuts, along the seam of the garment.
 After autopsy, wet clothing should be sun-dried, packed, sealed in paper
bags and handed over to the police.
 The whole surface of the body should be carefully examined before and
after washing from head to foot, and back and front, and the details
noted.
 Body length, weight, sex, race, head hair, eyes, dentition, general state,
built, development and nourishment is noted. It should include all
surgical procedures, dressings and other diagnostic and therapeutic
measures.
  Skin: General condition (rash, petechiae, color, looseness and
turgor), asymmetry of any part of the body or muscular wasting.
The presence of stains from blood, mud, vomit, feces, corrosive/
other poisons/ gunpowder is noted.
 General description includes deformities, scalp hair, beard,
scars, tattoo marks, moles, pupils, skin disease, circumcision,
amputations and vermilion mark.
External  Signs of disease: Edema of legs, dropsy, surgical emphysema

Examinatio about the chest, skin disease, eruptions.

 Time since death: Rectal temperature, rigor mortis,
n postmortem staining, putrefaction, maggots, stomach contents,
etc. are required to estimate time since death.
 Face: Cyanosis, petechial hemorrhages, pallor, protrusion or
biting of the tongue, state of lips, gums, teeth, marks of corrosion
and injuries inside the lips and cheeks.
 Eyes: Condition of the eyelids, conjunctivae, softening of the
eyeball, color of sclera, state and color of pupils, contact lenses,
petechiae, opacity of the cornea, lens and artificial eyes (which
may contribute in road traffic accidents).
  Natural orifices- should be observed for any discharges, injuries and
foreign body. Leakage of blood or CSF from ears, mouth or nostrils is
noted. Samples of discharges should be taken on swabs/ smears
 Neck: Bruises, fingernail abrasions, ligature marks or any other
abnormalities.
 Thorax: Symmetry, general outline, injuries.
 Abdomen: Presence or absence of distension or retraction, striae
gravidarum.

External  Back: Bedsores, spinal deformity, injuries.

 External genitalia: General development, edema, local infection,
Examinatio position of testes.

n  Hands: Injuries, defense wounds, electric marks, and in clenched

hands, if anything is grasped.
 Fingernails: Presence of tissue, blood, dust or other foreign matter,
may be indicative of struggle.
 Limbs and other parts: Fracture and dislocation.
 Documentation of injuries: injury should be look for and properly
recorded. The injuries should be described in a sequential manner
starting from head to toe. The injuries should be noted in accordance
with size, site, dimensions, and orientation to the axis of body and
relations from the fixed anatomical landmarks.
  Following are the various types of incisions used for autopsy.
Head
 Coronal incision- is more preferable and easy type of incision.
 The incision begins from behind the ear and extends upwards on
either side to meet coronally on head .
Skin
Incisions
 Trunk
 Depending on the need, an autopsy surgeon can use
 I- shaped incision
 Y- shaped incision
 Modified Y- shaped incision
 Elongated X-shaped incision
 However, only three types of incision are in practice
Skin routinely and described initially, followed by uncommon
ones.
Incisions
  Extends from symphysis mentii to symphysis pubis, taking
curve towards left around umbilicus.
 Indication- It is used routinely in practice.
 Advantages- It is simple and convenient.

I shaped
incision
  Commences at a point close to acromial process and
extends down below the breast and then medially across
the xipiod process. A similar incision is made at opposite
side of the body and from xipiod process the incision is
carried downwards in a straight line to the pubis.
 Indication- Preferred in females
 Advantages: It prevents cutting of the chest skin in midline
Y shaped and also allows detailed study of neck structures.

incision
  Commence as a straight incision from sternal notch to pubis is
made. Now this incision is extended from suprasternal notch
to the mid-point of clavicle and then upwards towards the
neck behind ear. Similar incision is made on opposite side..
 Indications- preferred when a detailed study of neck structures
required, e.g. asphyxial death due to neck compression.
 Advantages- It has a better exposure and allows study of neck
Modified Y structures.

shaped
incision
Methods of 

Virchow’s Methods
Rokitansky's Method
Dissecting  Letulle’s Method
Organs  Ghon’s Method
 METHODS OF DISSECTION OF
INTERNAL ORGANS

ROKITANSK
VIRCHOW LETULLE GHON
Y

Individual Organ En –masse Separate block

organ dissection dissection & dissection &
removal organ organ
in-situ separation
separation

Organ
dissection Organ Organ
dissection dissection
  Advocated by Rudolf Virchow (Father of Pathology)
German pathologist (1821-1902)
 Organs are removed separately one by one and
studied individually.
VIRCHOW’S  Cranial cavity Thoracic cavity  Cervical region 
METHOD Abdominal cavity
 Advantage: Quick & suitable for beginners
 Disadvantage: Causes loss of continuity
 Difficult to evaluate inter-relationship b/w organs
  Advocated by Carl Rokitansky, German pathologist
(1804-1878)
 In situ dissection of organs, combined with en bloc
ROKITANSKY 
removal.
Used for forensic autopsy to preserve anatomical
’S METHOD relationships & minimize disruption of evidence
 Advantages- in infected bodies (HIV, Hepatitis-B),
considered good in children
 Disadvantage: difficult to perform
  Advocated by Maurice Letulle, French pathologist en
masse method
 All organs are removed en masse & dissected as
LETULLE organ block.
 Advantage:
METHOD 1) organs inter-relationships are preserved
2) body can be handed over quickly
 Disadvantage: organs difficult to handle
  Advocated by Anton Ghon, Austrian pathologist
 En block method- removed in functional blocks/ groups
 Cervical, thoracic, abdominal, pelvic organs are
removed as 3 blocks.
 Neuronal system is removed as another block.
GHON’S  Advantage:
METHOD 1) Excellent preservation
2) Handling of organs easier
 Disadvantage: inter-relationships is difficult to study, if
disease is extending to all blocks.
  The skin, subcutaneous and soft tissues in the neck and
chest are then reflected sideward (Bruising of the thoracic
wall, fracture of ribs, etc. should be noted if present).
 Cut along the costochondral junction, and reflect the chest
plate.
 Keep hands into pleural cavities, look for blood/fluid
Opening of collection.
 Disarticulate the sternoclavicular joints on either side, cut
Thoracic the cartilage of 1st rib and separate the chest plate and
remove it.
Cavity  Examine the mediastinum for injuries and other findings
and notice accordingly.
 In situ inspection is done before removal of thoracic organs
that includes observation of the atrium and ventricle for air
embolism, distension or collapse of lungs, the chest cavity
for fluid, hemorrhage or pus, pleural adhesions, injuries
including fracture of ribs.
  The rectus abdominis muscles are incised upto 5 cm above
the symphysis pubis.
 A small nick is made in the fascia to put the left index and
middle fingers with palmar surfaces up, to protect the
underlying structures, and the peritoneum is cut up to the
Opening of xiphoid.

Abdominal  In the abdominal cavity, presence of any blood, pus or fluid,

perforation or damage to any organ is looked for.
Cavity  If blood, pus or any other fluid is present, its quantity is
measured.
 In penetrating wounds of the abdomen, gross injury to liver,
kidneys, spleen and intra-abdominal vessels may be seen
and there may be excessive intra-abdominal hemorrhage.
  Scalp incision
 Removing the skull cap
 Opening the duramater
 Removing the brain
 Dissection of brain and its parts.
Opening of  During each of the steps enumerated above, proper

Cranial examination of each of the following is done:

 Scalp—any injuries
Cavity  Skull—any fractures
 Membranes—haemorrhages, pus, etc.
 Brain—pressure manifestations, injuries, congénital
anomalies, abscess, tumours, etc.
Note: Keep a wooden block under the shoulder making the
head rest firmly.
Dotted lines showing –
(A) Opening of the dura mater into
4 flaps,
(B) Opening of the dura mater in
a single piece
  After complete dissection study, put all the viscera into the
trunk and the body is closed properly suturing along the
incisions using curved needle.
 Clean the body and dress it properly in an appealing way,
Closing the while being handed over to police or deceased party.
 Handing over the body to the police: Always handover
Body the body to concerned police constable or officer who
brought it for autopsy.
 Take a written statement for receiving the autopsied body
by the police mentioning the actual date, time, etc.
accurately.
  Routinely not examined. But, whenever needed it should be examined from the back.
 A midline incision is given in the back along entire length of neck and trunk, skin
reflected out on either side laterally for about 2.5 cm.
 Vertebral column is then chiseled out along the medial margin of the transverse
processes of the vertebrae. An electric saw may also be used in cutting.
 Entire length of spinal cord can be then taken out without causing much postmortem
trauma.
Examined in cases of

Examinatio  Poisoning
 Mechanical asphyxia
n of Spine  Burns
 Criminal abortion
 Road traffic accident
 Newborn/infant/foetus—infanticide case
 Firearm injuries
 Exhumation
 Examination of skeletal remains.
 It may be remembered at this juncture that at times unless these special procedures
are opted, it may render difficulties in compiling final opinion in the postmortem
report.
  Viscera should be preserved in cases of:
a. Suspected death due to poisoning
b. Deceased was intoxicated or used to drugs
c. Cause of death could not be found after autopsy
Preservatio d. Accidental death involving driver of a vehicle or machine

n of Viscera operator
e. Death due to burns (if needed)
f. Advanced decomposition*
g. Any case, if requested by the Magistrate
  Samples preserved in case of suspected poisoning in living-
i. Vomit- 300 ml (whole, if quantity is less)
ii. Stomach washout- 500 ml
iii. Blood- 10 ml
iv. Urine- 100 ml

Samples Samples preserved in case of suspected poisoning in dead-

v. Stomach and its contents- Whole
Preserved vi. Upper part of small intestine and its contents- 15-30 cm
length
vii. Liver (along with gallbladder)- 300-500 g
viii.Kidney- Longitudinal half of each kidney
ix. Spleen- Whole
x. Blood- 10 ml
xi. Urine- 100 ml.3:
  Heart- Strychnine, digitalis
 Brain- Alkaloids, organophosphorus, opiates, strychnine, carbon
monoxide, cyanide, barbiturates and volatile organic poisons;
hydrophobia/rabies (for Negri bodies)
 Spinal cord- Strychnine
 CSF- Alcohol

Other  Vitreous humor- Alcohol, chloroform

 Lung- Gaseous poisons, hydrocyanic acid, alcohol, chloroform
Viscera  Skin- Injected poisons (insulin, morphine, heroin, cocaine and

Preserved other illicit drugs), firearm injuries

 Bone, hair and nails- Heavy metals (arsenic, antimony, thallium)
 Fatty tissue- Pesticides and insecticides
 Uterus and its appendages- Criminal abortion
 Muscle- Decomposition
 Gallbladder (bile)- morphine, cocaine, methadone, glutathione,
many antibiotics and tranquillizers and heavy metals (in chronic
poisoning).
 Spleen- septicemia
  The viscera should be preserved in clean, wide-mouthed
glass bottles fitted with glass stoppers.
 The specimen is preserved at 4°C until they are
analyzed.
 For long-term storage, it has to be kept in freezer (-10°C).
PROCEDURE  Certain preservatives are used- To prevent putrefaction
and easy for chemical analysis.
OF  They can be destroyed after getting the permission from
PRESERVATIO the Magistrate/ when the investigating police officer
informs that the case has been closed.
N
Viscera bottles packed, sealed and
labelled for dispatch to FSL
Bottle 1—Stomach with contents and
proximal 30 cm of small intestine
Bottle 2—500 gm of liver and half of both
kidneys
Bottle 3—Blood 25 ml in sodium fluoride
preservative
Bottle 4—Sample preservative used in bottle
  Saturated solution of common salt (NaCl) is
prepared by adding salt to water till it remains
undissolved on vigorous stirring.
PRESERVATIV - It is indicated in all poisoning cases.
ES  Rectified spirit is indicated for most of the poisons.
- Exceptions: alcohol, kerosene, phosphorus,
paraldehyde, carbolic acid, acetic acid, etc.
 Preservation of blood-
- For 10 mL of blood+ 100 mg sodium fluoride (enzyme
inhibitor) + 30 mg potassium oxalate (anticoagulant)-
shake thoroughly
 For volatile poisons – alcohol, ether, chloroform, hydrocyanic
acid etc. – airtight container under frozen condition without
any preservative (for immediate process).
 For blood grouping – blood in equal quantity+ 5% of sodium
citrate in water containing 0.25% of formalin.
 For carbon monoxide – blood in bottle with 1 to 2 cm layer of
paraffin.
 For oxalic acid and ethylene glycol – 30 mg of sodium citrate
for 10 ml of blood.
 Preservation of Urine –
- Thymol
- Saturated solution of NaCl
- 5 ml of concentrated HCl for every 250/500 ml.
 Specimen of bones does not require preservatives
 Vitreous humor is preserved using sodium fluoride
(10 mg/ml).
 Bone marrow is preserved in a test tube containing
4-5 ml of 5% albumin-normal saline solution and
stored at 4°C.
 Formalin is not used as preservative for chemical
analysis because extraction of poison, especially
non-volatile organic compounds become difficult.
 The use of disposable, hard plastic or glass containers
are recommended for preservation.
  Exhumation means to dig out corpse from the ground.
 It is a lawful process of retrieval of previously buried body for
postmortem examination.
CAUSES-
1. Criminal cases:
 Establishing the cause and manner of death in suspected
homicide disguised as suicide.
EXHUMATIO  Death as a result of criminal abortion and criminal negligence.
N  Retrieving some vital object which may throw light on the case,
e.g. bullet from the dead body, if the person was killed by a
firearm.
2. Civil cases:
Identification of the deceased for accidental death claim,
insurance, workmen’s compensation claim, liability for
professional negligence, survivorship and inheritance claims,
disputed identity, separation overseas, and burial of the wrong
body inadvertently or by fraud.
Authorization:
 The exhumation is carried out only on receipt of written
order from the Executive Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate.
Time limit for Exhumation:
 In India, there is no time limit for carrying out exhumation.
 The period of exhumation is restricted in other countries for
example it is about 10 years in France and 30 years in
Germany.
 1. It should be done and completed in broad daylight, for which
it should be started during the morning hours of the day.
2. The body is exhumed under the supervision of a medical
officer and Magistrate, in the presence of a police officer.
3. Before opening the grave, it should be positively identified
from location of burial plot, headstone and grave marker.
4. 500 gm of Soil from above, below and 2 sides of the body
should be preserved in separate glass jars, with
Procedure identification tags.
5. Disinfectants/pesticides should not be sprinkled on the body
as it interferes with determination of poison in body.
6. The doctor should examine the body inside the grave or the
coffin regarding its position and appearance.
7. A drawing of the grave and body or skeleton should be
made, noting all the details, whether the face is up, or to the
right, arms are extended, or the lower limbs are flexed.
8. The grave or the coffin with the body should be
photographed.
9. If decomposition is not advanced, a plank or a
plastic sheet should then be lowered to the level of
the earth on which the body rests.
10. After this, the body is lifted and sent for
postmortem examination, along with a requisition
and preliminary investigation report which contains
the brief history of the case. In the mortuary,
postmortem examination on the body is performed
as in all other cases.
11. In highly putrefied bodies, an attempt should be
made to establish the identity. Viscera should be
preserved for chemical analysis.
12. If the body is reduced to skeleton, the bones should
be examined.
 1. To know cause of death
2. To determine whether fetus is live born, dead born or still-born
3. To ascertain viability of fetus
4. To ascertain intrauterine age of fetus
5. To know how long did it survive after birth?
6. To determine the manner of death
7. To estimate time since death
8. To establish identity of deceased when not known

Objectives 9. To retain relevant organs/viscera and tissues as evidence.

In addition to adult autopsy, following things required attention while
conducting fetal autopsy
 Note signs of maceration/mummification
 Note the state of umbilicus, umbilical cord, placenta, weight, disease,
 Note the length, weight and morphological features of fetus
 Note state of eyes, eyelids, eyelashes, papillary membrane, scalp
hairs, body hairs (lanugo), nails, color of skin, wrinkling, presence of
subcutaneous fat
 Note the sex of fetus
 Note for appearance of ossification centers.
Authorization
 The investigating police officer has to give a requisition for
the fetal autopsy with brief history of the case, maintaining
all other formalities as meant for the adult medicolegal
autopsy.
Procedure
 The special objectives in a case of infanticide require
certain special examinations and tests to be done besides
the routine dissection to find out the cause of death.
1. External
2. Internal
  Clothes and wrappings
 Postmortem changes
 Signs of maceration—the skin of the macerated fetus is coppery red in color. The
body parts are flaccid and flat when placed on a table. The bones appear to be
separated.
 Umbilical cord—tied or torn, or with signs of inflammation.
 Placenta—note whether attached or not, measure the weight, and look for any
infarcts, disease, etc.

External  Signs of maturity (intrauterine age and viability)—

o Crown heel/rump length with a flexible tape

Examinatio o Weight

n
o Midpoint of body in relation to sternum and umbilicus.
o Skin—wrinkled or smooth with presence of fat, covered with vernix caseosa.
o Nails—appeared or not. If present–extent of growth.
o Scalp hairs—appeared or not.
o Eyelashes and eyebrows—appeared or not.
o Eyelids—adherent or open.
o Testicles—ascertain the position by incising the scrotum and inguinal canal if
necessary.
 Ossification centres
 Caput succedaneum- over the head (scalp) or buttocks.
 Examination of head-
 The scalp is reflected by coronal incision as in adults.
 For opening the skull cap:
1. Beneke’s technique- dotted line indicate incision
Internal 2. Barr's technique- dotted line indicate incision
Examinatio
n
  Abdomen is open first to note the position of diaphragm and
then chest is opened.
 In fetal autopsy, technique described by Letulle's is more
beneficial.
 Rest part of examination is same as that of adult.
 Another technique is outlined by MacPherson and Valdes-
Examinatio Dapera (1991) depending on gestational age of fetus.

n of Chest & ∞If fetus is <12 weeks of gestation or less than 25 gm

weight, the fetus may be examined by freehand
Abdomen sectioning method. It consists of sectioning or cutting the
trunk of fetus/embryo into slices of about 1 cm thickness. A
dissection microscope may be used to examine the slices
∞For fetus between 12 to 22 week (or less than 400 gm), a
mini-necropsy can be attempted and the organs are
removed en bloc.
∞For fetus above 22 weeks, full necropsy (routine autopsy)
should be done.
  Hydrostatic test is a test done to confirm whether the lungs
tested are from a respired newborn or not.
Principle
 If the newborn has respired after birth, the air that has entered
the lungs shall remain within the lungs as residual air, which
cannot be removed even after death, renders the lung lighter
and makes it float in water giving positive result.

HYDROSTATI Procedure
 Put each lung separately into a jar of water, see whether it
C TEST sinks or floats.
 Cut each into 10 to 12 pieces observe the blood exuding.
 Test each of them for buoyancy.
 Pick up the floating pieces, and press firmly under water.
 Observe the nature of bubbles streaming up. Note whether
they continue to float or not.
Note: Fix a few lung pieces for histopathological examination.
 Interpretation
 If the entire lung floats- child had not only respired but
respiration had been completely established.
 In the absence of putrefaction this test itself is conclusive.
 If some pieces float but others sink- child has of course
respired but for a very short period and ineffectively. Yet it is
a live born child.
Interpretati  If all pieces sink, the child never respired and is stillborn.

ons Fallacies
 Putrefaction: An un respired lung may float due to gases of
decomposition.
 Oedema lungs, congenital syphilis, pneumonia, lung
collapse, etc.: These conditions can make a respired lung
sink in water.
 But unaffected areas may give a clue to respiration having
been established if that is the case.