Postmortem cooling of the body to surrounding temperature is called?

• A. Algor mortis
• B. Rigor mortis
• C. Livor mortis
• D. Agonal algor

Answer: (A)

Algor mortis is the cooling of the body to the surrounding temperature after death. Once the heart stops, heat production ends and circulation ceases, so the body loses heat to the environment until it reaches ambient temperature. The rate of cooling depends on factors like ambient temperature, whether the body is clothed or wrapped, air flow, humidity, and the body's size and fat content.

Rigor mortis is the stiffening of muscles that occurs a few hours after death due to biochemical changes in the muscle; livor mortis is the settling of blood in dependent areas causing discoloration; agonal algor refers to temperature changes during the dying process, not the postmortem cooling.