Which description defines lividity?

• A. The stiffening of the body muscles after death
• B. The postmortem cooling
• C. The color change from settling of blood due to gravity
• D. The drying of skin

Answer: (C)

Lividity, or livor mortis, is the pooling of blood in the parts of the body that are lowest due to gravity after circulation has stopped. This causes a visible color change in the skin (often purplish-red or bluish) in those dependent areas. The phenomenon happens because blood settles out of the vessels when the heart is no longer pumping, and the resulting coloration helps indicate where the body was located after death and whether it was moved. It’s distinct from other postmortem changes: rigor mortis is the stiffening of muscles, algor mortis is the cooling of the body, and desiccation is the drying of the skin.