Postmortem, intravascular, reddish-blue discoloration is known as

• A. Livor mortis
• B. Algor mortis
• C. Rigor mortis
• D. Facies Hippocratica

Answer: (A)

Discoloration after death caused by blood settling under gravity is livor mortis. When circulation stops, blood pools in the dependent parts of the body, giving those areas a reddish-blue color from deoxygenated blood. This pattern helps indicate the body's position at death and can reveal movement if the lividity didn’t form in the expected dependent areas or if it isn’t fixed yet. By comparison, algor mortis refers to cooling of the body, rigor mortis to the stiffening of muscles, and Facies Hippocratica describes a sunken, drawn facial appearance rather than a color change.