Question

In death due to drowning, diatoms are found in which of these samples?

• A. Nails
• B. Hair
• C. Femur
• D. Fingerprints

Hint:

The key to the diatom test is circulation. Diatoms can only reach the bone marrow if the heart was actively pumping blood when the water was inhaled. This makes it a powerful test to differentiate true drowning from a body being dumped in water after death.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The diatom test is used to confirm death by drowning.
Step 1: Understand the mechanism. When a person drowns, they inhale water. If they are alive, their heart is still beating. The inhaled water, containing microscopic algae called diatoms, enters the lungs.

Step 2: Diatom circulation. From the lungs, the diatoms pass through the damaged alveolar-capillary walls into the bloodstream. The circulatory system then distributes them throughout the body.

Step 3: Deposition. The diatoms are filtered out and deposited in various organs, particularly the bone marrow, which is well-protected from contamination. The femur (thigh bone) is a large bone with abundant marrow, making it an ideal sample site.

Step 4: Analyze other options. Nails and hair are external and can be easily contaminated by the water the body is found in. Fingerprints are skin patterns and not a site for diatom deposition. Therefore, the presence of diatoms deep inside the femur marrow is strong evidence of ante-mortem drowning.