What typically does not occur in the first few hours after death?

In the context of physiological changes that occur shortly after death, the correct response highlights "relaxation of muscles" as something that typically does not occur in the first few hours. Upon death, the body undergoes various changes, including the onset of rigor mortis, which is the stiffening of muscles due to chemical changes within the muscle fibers. This process usually begins within a few hours after death and can lead to complete rigidity by about 12 hours.

Lividity, or livor mortis, refers to the settling of blood in the lower parts of the body due to gravity, which also starts shortly after death and is crucial for determining the time of death. Formation of contusions, or bruises, can happen as a result of various post-mortem factors but does not typically occur in the early hours after death.

In contrast, the relaxation of muscles happens before rigor mortis sets in. Immediately after death, the muscles may initially be relaxed, but this relaxation is quite short-lived, as the onset of rigor mortis follows relatively quickly thereafter. Therefore, among the options provided, relaxation of muscles does not describe a typical occurrence in the first few hours following death.