Fetor hepaticus
medical condition
Fetor hepaticus or foetor hepaticus (Latin, "liver stench" ("fetid liver") (see spelling differences), also known as breath of the dead or hepatic foetor, is a condition seen in portal hypertension where portosystemic shunting allows thiols to pass directly into the lungs. It is a late sign in liver failure and is one of the clinical features of hepatic encephalopathy. Other possible causes are the presence of ammonia and ketones in the breath. The breath has a sweet, fecal, or musty smell to it.
The compound volatile dimethyl sulfide has been associated with it, raising the possibility of an objective noninvasive measure of liver failure. A secondary form of trimethylaminuria is also associated with liver failure, and it has been suggested that trimethylamine is also a contributor to the odor of fetor hepaticus.
“Fetor hepaticus” enters the record as medical condition. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Fetor, hepaticus and medical can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Fetor hepaticus” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Fetor, hepaticus and medical provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3280552. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Fetor hepaticus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Fetor hepaticus primary sources, Fetor hepaticus archive and Fetor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Fetor hepaticus”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Fetor hepaticus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.