Question:
A 30-year-old male dead body was brought to autopsy. The Dr notices greyish white waxy material with preserved facial features. Which is true of following change
A 30-year-old male dead body was brought to autopsy. The Dr notices greyish white waxy material with preserved facial features. Which is true of following change
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Greyish-white waxy "grave-wax" with preserved features = adipocere, formed by saponification of fat in moist conditions.
Updated On: Aug 27, 2026
- High temperature needed
- Hot & dry environment needed
- Starts very early after death
- It is a form of body preservation by saponification of fats
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Identify the post-mortem change. A greyish-white, waxy / soapy material with preservation of facial (and other) features in a dead body is the classic description of adipocere (also called grave-wax). It is one of the modifications of putrefaction that preserve the body and so help in identification.
Step 2: Understand the mechanism. Adipocere forms by hydrolysis and hydrogenation of the body's fats, converting neutral fats into a mixture of saturated fatty acids and their salts (soaps) - i.e. a saponification process. The enzymes are bacterial (mainly Clostridium perfringens lecithinase) plus endogenous lipases. This makes option (D) - "a form of body preservation by saponification of fats" - the correct statement.
Step 3: Why the other options are wrong.
• (A) High temperature needed - false. A moderately warm temperature helps, but extreme heat is not required; adipocere classically forms in moist, damp conditions (water, wet soil), not in dry heat.
• (B) Hot & dry environment needed - false; that describes the conditions for mummification, the opposite environment. Adipocere needs moisture.
• (C) Starts very early after death - false. Adipocere takes time - it begins to be appreciable only after about 3 weeks and is well-formed over several months. It is not an early change.
Final answer: Option D - It is a form of body preservation by saponification of fats.
Step 2: Understand the mechanism. Adipocere forms by hydrolysis and hydrogenation of the body's fats, converting neutral fats into a mixture of saturated fatty acids and their salts (soaps) - i.e. a saponification process. The enzymes are bacterial (mainly Clostridium perfringens lecithinase) plus endogenous lipases. This makes option (D) - "a form of body preservation by saponification of fats" - the correct statement.
Step 3: Why the other options are wrong.
• (A) High temperature needed - false. A moderately warm temperature helps, but extreme heat is not required; adipocere classically forms in moist, damp conditions (water, wet soil), not in dry heat.
• (B) Hot & dry environment needed - false; that describes the conditions for mummification, the opposite environment. Adipocere needs moisture.
• (C) Starts very early after death - false. Adipocere takes time - it begins to be appreciable only after about 3 weeks and is well-formed over several months. It is not an early change.
Final answer: Option D - It is a form of body preservation by saponification of fats.
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