Step 1: At autopsy, blood is often needed for toxicological analysis, blood grouping, alcohol estimation and other tests. The ideal site is a large peripheral vein that can be reached before the body cavity is opened, to avoid contamination.
Step 2: Before autopsy, about 10 to 20 ml of blood is collected from the femoral vein in the groin. This peripheral site reduces the chance of postmortem diffusion artefacts that affect central blood.
Step 3: The jugular vein or subclavian vein may be used as alternatives, but the femoral vein remains the preferred standard site.
Step 4: The arterial options (femoral artery, brachial artery) and the cephalic vein are not the recommended sites for routine postmortem blood collection. Hence option (b) Femoral vein is correct.