= Solution
\b[The strongest evidence is a genuine reaction of living <tissue>, particularly established <inflammation> or <wound healing>; bleeding, gaping and a clot are supporting observations, not individually decisive proofs.]
Examine the whole body before disturbing the <wound>, recording its situation, dimensions, margins and relation to damaged <blood vessels>. Then expose the <wound> track by careful dissection. An injury received while the <blood circulation> was active may show substantial <hemorrhage>, <blood> infiltrating the surrounding <tissue>, and adherent <blood clots>. Infiltration is more informative than loose <blood> merely lying on the surface: serial cuts can show whether <blood> has penetrated the <tissue> rather than simply coated it.
The interval of survival changes what can reasonably be expected. If the person survived long enough, surrounding <inflammation>, cellular reaction, formation of <granulation tissue>, or an established <scar> is evidence of a process that began during life. Such findings can make the conclusion much stronger than the appearance of a fresh cut. They do not furnish a universal clock: <wound healing> varies with site, severity, health and environment.
A post-mortem cut will often have relatively pale margins and little infiltration, although it can gape because <skin> and other <tissues> are elastic. <Blood> may still escape from a recently dead body, particularly from dependent or congested parts, and <coagulation> can occur around the time of death. <Livor mortis> can resemble bruising, while drying and <putrefaction> alter colour and consistency. A body moved, compressed or subjected to attempts at resuscitation presents further opportunities for artefact. Therefore neither “it bled” nor “the edges retracted” establishes that the <wound> was inflicted during life.
For modern corroboration, sample the margin, underlying <tissue> and an uninjured comparison site for <histology>, interpreting <inflammation> and other markers in the context of the whole examination. A primary study of decomposed forensic cases illustrates the use of <immunohistochemistry> while explicitly warning that extravasated <red blood cells> alone do not reliably establish <wound vitality>.<Wound Vitality in Decomposed Bodies: New Frontiers Through Immunohistochemistry>[2021, Introduction and Discussion: ante-mortem injuries, decomposition and limitations of erythrocyte extravasation]{ref}
Consequently, \b[a rapidly fatal <wound> may be impossible to distinguish confidently from one inflicted immediately after death by gross aspect alone]. Absence of developed <inflammation> is expected when survival was extremely brief; it is not proof of post-mortem injury. The answer should express the degree of support, rather than force an unwarranted yes-or-no conclusion.
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