What do we call the post-mortem cooling of the body to the surrounding temperature?

The process of post-mortem cooling of the body to the surrounding temperature is known as algor mortis. After death, the body begins to cool down as it no longer maintains its internal temperature. This cooling occurs due to the absence of metabolic processes that generate heat, leading to a gradual decline in body temperature until it equilibrates with the environment. Algor mortis is one of the key indicators used by forensic investigators to help estimate the time of death, as the rate of cooling can be influenced by various factors such as ambient temperature, clothing, and body composition.

In contrast, rigor mortis refers to the stiffening of the muscles post-mortem, livor mortis describes the pooling of blood in the lower parts of the body due to gravity, and hypothermia refers to a state where the body temperature drops to dangerously low levels due to environmental exposure before death, which is not specific to the post-mortem phase. Understanding these terms and their definitions is crucial in forensic investigations to accurately assess the circumstances surrounding a death.