What phenomenon results in purple spots from ruptured capillaries in lividity?

Tardieu spots refer to the purple or red spots that appear on the skin at the site of ruptured capillaries due to the pooling of blood after death, a process known as lividity or hypostasis. When a person dies, gravity causes the blood to settle in the lowest parts of the body, leading to the characteristic discoloration. As the blood remains pooled, it can exert pressure on the small capillaries, which may subsequently rupture, resulting in these visible spots.

This phenomenon is specifically associated with postmortem changes and is crucial for medical examiners and investigators as it can provide important clues regarding the position of the body at the time of death and the timing of death. Tardieu spots can help distinguish between different causes of death and provide insights into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The other options represent different postmortem phenomena. Algor mortis refers to the cooling of the body after death, moderate decomposition involves the breakdown of bodily tissues, and maggot masses pertain to the infestation of the body by insects during decomposition. While these are significant in the context of death investigations, they do not specifically relate to the appearance of purple spots from ruptured capillaries.