Mission

Tony also caught the blue flash that day. I remembered the blue coming before the green, but I probably remembered it wrongly. You can see copies of both of Tony's photos in my 2007 Pip Surgeon's Tale near the bottom of this page. The blue flash is harder to see, but it is there. However, the photo that Fayma is directing you to is the original and so is much larger and nicer.

I don't mind; I don't know if anyone else does. (To be honest, I don't know if anyone else even reads my long posts in this thread. ) I was thinking about the other soldiers killing their wounded fellows and I recalled why it said they did that - it was to prevent the wounded men from falling into the hands of the enemy. So even that is arguably not so much of a wound-oriented or pain-reducing mercy killing. (I just wish I could remember where I read that. Trouble is, I read several sources at once and until I enter them into my notes later, so I can't always keep them straight. Even worse, that bit doesn't fall directly into my area of interest, so I probably didn't highlight it for future copying.) Here's one about a fracture caused by a splinters in battle. Splinters from cannonballs were far more likely to cause wounds than the actual ball was, although this does not appear to be widely understood by most people and certainly by most movie-makers. It also highlights one of the most frightening dangers in many sailor's minds. (See if you recognize it.) In addition, it contains some wonderful detail points about a sailor's weapons (Sashes!) and how a make-shift hospital bed was made. (This is not the first time I have come across this method, although this account is more detailed in explaining how the bed was built.) Also note the comment about seamen and wine near the end. "In the heat of Fight at Sea, amongst the many wounded men that were put down into the Hold to me, one of them had his right Arm extreamly shattered about two Fingers breadth, on the outside above the Elbow, by a great Splinter. I ought to have cut off the mans Arm presently: but a sudden cry that our Ship was on fire put me in such disorder, that I rather thought of saving my self than dressing my Patients. I hastily clapt a Dressing upon the Wound, and rouled it up, leaving his Arm in his other Hand to support it, and endeavoured to get up out of the Hold as the others did, verily believing I should never dress him nor any of them more. But our men bravely quitted themselves of the Fire-ship by cutting the Sprit-sail Tackle off with their short Hatchets, (which they wore during Fight sticking in their Sashes.) So we were freed of the Fire, and by our hoisting up the Top-sails got clear of our Enemy, and I returned to my work. But I was at a loss what to do with __ this man who lay not far off complaining of his Arm. I would have cut it off instantly with a Razour (for the Bone being shattered, there needed no Saw. [the splinter shattered his bone!], but the man would not suffer me to meddle with his Arm, he crying, it was already drest. The Fight being over, and we gotten into the next Port, I caused this Mariners Bed to be set up: (which was four pieces of Wood nailed together and corded, and a Bears Skin laid upon it, and fastened between two Guns to the Carriages:) upon this I saw him placed; and having ordered his Arm to be laid so that I might the better come to dress it, I sent for dressings, and laid them orderly upon a small Pillow well stuft and quilted in the middle. Upon this Pillow I first laid a soft double linen Cloth, next to that three Ligatures [ties for the bandage in this case], then a Pastboard wet in Vinegar, to make it more soft and pliant; to encompass the fractured Member, which I cut from each end to the middle into three Binders [broad bandages - Wiseman appears to be referring to the ligatures]: Over this lay my Defensative (medicine to prevent bad humours from gathering at a wound) spread on a thick Cloth, of such a breadth and length as to take in the whole Arm. Dressings thus laid upon the Pillow, I cut off the other [dressing] from his fractured Arm, and placed the Pillow with these Dressings close by his side; so that I saw his Arm laid as I designed upon my Restrictive [a bandage used to bind wounds tightly] and his Hand upon his Breast. Then putting my Fingers into his Wound, I pulled out first a piece of Splinter an inch thick and thereabouts, more or less; then Rag and Bones, great and small; I left not the least Shiver [fragment]. When I had so cleared the Wound of all the extraneous bodies and loose Bones, I was amazed to feel what a void space there was between the ends of the Bones. But I proceeded, and cut off the lacerated Lips [of the wound], which were of no use, and drest up the ends of the Bones with a couple of Dossils [plugs of lint] dipt in spir. vini [rectified spirits distilled from wine; alcohol] and Merc. præcipitat. [white mercurial precipitate, used for dressing ulcers. Good old mercury!], with some little ol. terebinth. [oil of turpentine, used widely to cleanse wounds and stem bleeding], spread upon Dossils, an empl. diachalcith. malaxt with ol. murt. & olivar. immatur. and a little acetum [a plaster of oil, litharge and copper salts kneaded with hydrocholorine and olive oil pressed from young olives - this is my best interpretation, anyhow] bringing my restrictive Emplaster, which lay under the Arm, over the whole Arm, from the Arm-pit to the Elbow and close round about, only leaving a space to dress the Wound. This gave strength to the weak Member, and was designed to prevent the Influx [of humours] from above. Just under this Emplaster lay a Splenium [medicated linen cloth, folded over three or four times to support the fracture]. To answer that I applied three more, one on each side, and another above: Which four were of such a size, that they, lying a little off from one another, encompassed the Arm. They were spread lightly with a little Cerote [a paste of sorts] made of axungia and Wax [wax combined with grease], to make them adhere where I placed them. Then I brought the Bandage which lay under the Splenium, with three heads at each end. The lowermost of these took in the lower part of the Arm, from the Elbow upwards, with part of the Fracture, and was fastened on the exterior part of the Arm. This prest the Sanies [a thin fetid pus mixed with serum or blood, discharged by wounds] from the neather part of the Arm to the Wound, and hindred the lapse of Matter that way. The middlemost was made to press Matter out of the Wound, and keep the Lips down. The uppermost served to restrain the Influx, as I said, and pressed that Matter out which was already in the Part. This Bandage was made with great moderation, and so fastened, that it might be loosened without trouble to the Patient. [Note again the concern for the comfort of the patient by Wiseman.] Then I brought the wet Pastboard close to the sides, and cut another piece to answer it, which I wetted in aceto [vinegar], and by the three Ligatures under made them fast, but without disturbance to the Patient. If it could not have __ been so put on, I should have forborn the use of them, the Cure of these Wounds consisting in the easie Dressing and quiet Position, without which you will not cure one of them. The Pastboard as it dried, stiffened, and retained its shape, preserving the Fracture in the position I left it, and that with a very slack Bandage. Thus I finished the first dressing, leaving my Patient in much ease. He slept pretty well that night, and was the next day as well as I could expect. he was let blood the second day, and kept to a spare Diet: but we allowed Wine as a Cordial to all our Patients. The third day I drest him again, took off the upper Pastboard, and loosened the head of the main Bandage; also I took off that Splenium which was over the Wound, and raising up the Emplaster from the Wound, took out many Dossils, found it warm and well disposed, and drest it up quick with my Suppuratives [medicine promoting the discharge of pus] hot, and an Emplaster as before. I stirred not the Restrictive, but made now a Compress more particularly for the Wound, purposing not to remove the two outermost heads of the main Bandage, unless it were sometime to give a little breathing to the Member. But the middle I opened as often as I thought fit, to dress the Wound. The other two had short Splenia to make the Bandage equal. But i was not then satisfied how the space between the fractured ends of the main Bone could be supplied with Callus [hard bony tissue developing around the end of a fractured bone]. My Patient was easier than any of my other with fractured Wounds. When it came to my turn to be visited by my Brother Chirurgeons of our Squadron, they did not dislike the Wound, nor my way of dressing, (for we being used to see one another's Patients, had all much one way of dressing: ) But they laught at the excuse I made for not cutting off his Arm, and doubted I should yet be forced to do it. But I kept my Patient flat on his Back, and that after a while was his greatest pain; For the Wound was well digested, and the bruised Flesh separated, I renewed the Dressings, taking all the old ones off, and fomented the member with warm Water, to give a breathing to it; then applied a Catagmatick Emplaster [medicated plaster for treating fractures], drest the Wound with mundificat. Paracelsi [cleansing mixture of turpentine, honey and egg yolk - named for the physician Paracelsus] or such like, and bound up the Member as at first, and so continued my way of Dressing as I saw cause, putting into the Wound only a Dossil or Tent [roll of absorbent material, often medicated to keep a wound open] made upon a Skewer soft and hollow, to give way to the Wound to incarn [form tissue inside the wound - I watched my finger do this after cutting it with a table saw. It looks like clear gooey, gelatinous stuff sitting in a wound, but it becomes flesh when left alone. It's really quite cool what our bodies can do.]; I scarce using any Injection, but by gentle Compression assisting Nature, who seldom faileth in supplying the lost Substance in Wounds, if we disturb her not by improper Applications. The next taking off and renewing these dressings of this fractured member was occasioned some 16 or 17 days after, by a troublesome itching of the part, which was occasioned, I suppose, partly from his liberty in Diet, partly by the heat of the Weather, and want of Transpiration [evaporation of water/sweat]. [Mostly, itching is caused by healing, as anyone with a healing wound can attest.] Upon this account I took off the Dressings, bathed the member with Seawater, and drest him up with emplast. de lithargyro. [lead-based medicated plaster, which serves as a powerful astringent]. The Wound was about this time well incarned within, and the Lips beginning to cicatrize [heal by forming scar tissue] from their edges, I dressed them with Epuloticks [medicine promoting wound healing] as unguent. tutiæ, & c. [Tutty (zinc oxide) ointment, an astringent sort of paste] All this while I kept my Patient upon his Back, and renewed not the whole Dressing until I was again necessitated. One day coming from the Shoar, (where our Wounded men had liberty to lodge if they desired it, and were drest by us there,) I found this Patient with a heat all over his Body like an Erysipelas [fevered illness characterized by localised redness and swelling]: At which he was much affrighted. He had, it seems drank Wine too liberally with his Mates, (as they would most of them do, if they were any thing well.) Unless it rather proceeded from a generation of Callus, in which case it usually happens. I let him Blood, and dressing him as in an Erysipelas, finding his Arm pretty strong, and his Wound healed within, and in a fair way of cicatrizing, I raised him up, after he had lain about eight weeks. All which __ while I believe he never stirred his Arm from the time I first placed it, but only while I renewed the Dressings.; he being the most patient man in that respect I ever attended: and in truth, without that submission he could scarce have been cured. There was in this Patient a strong Callus filling up the void place of the lost Bone at least two inches, with little or no shortening of the Arm: but the Joint of the Elbow was so stiff from the position it lay so long in, that he could not stretch that Joint whilst I knew him, which was until that Ship was cast away. My memory will be much cried up, for remembring so many particulars in a Patient so many years since cured by me. But if you consider how remarkable a case it was, and in my Trade, there will be less wondring at the possibility of it." (Wiseman, p. 425-8]

Well, let's look at what Wiseman does say. So, on the one hand, he didn't see any point in dressing his catastrophic wounds. But on the other, he goes to great lengths to help make the man more comfortable and doesn't appear to even consider ending his life. Later on, he notes that "...we left that deplorable creature to lodge [in the now empty house], and while we continued there, which was about 6 or 7 days, he was drest by some of the Chirurgeons with a Fomentation..." So we can say that his fellow surgeons were compassionate as well as they bothered to dress the man. Now his fellow soldiers may have done away with him had they known he was alive - and I have seen references to this happening somewhere or another but I don't recall where exactly - but they already thought the man was dead. That's why they stuck him in the house with the rest of the bodies.) The comfort of the patient is actually a common theme in the books I've read. Ambroise Paré (The Apologie and Treatise of Ambroise Paré) talks about it; in fact, he goes on for pages about why his field experience suggests that ligating (tying off) arteries is preferable to cauterization (basically burning them closed), if only for the patient's own comfort and future healing. Woodall (The Surgeon's Mate) agrees with Paré on this point and talks a great deal about the patient's comfort in other instances. And you've seen where Wiseman stands. However, this may be because of the books I am being guided towards. Still, each of these books went through multiple printings, in the case of Paré and Woodall, their books continued to be printed after their death. So they must have had some influence on their profession. Note that Paré and Wisemen were surgeons to various Kings, an honorary recognition of their skill by the monarchies (Woodall may have been as well, but I don't have that in my notes yet). Still, their compassion may be because they were some of the leading surgical lights in the field at the time.

Hmm. I think my policy henceforth will be to only add people to my friends list who don't want me to add them as friends. (So no one should be offended if I don't add them as a friend.)

You have read everything I have read about the guy. He was alive after six or seven days, which is quite a long time from the sound of his injury. My supposition is that he probably lived in that abandoned house and scared little children into starting foolish legends about the ghost of the abandoned death house. This book has said nothing about mercy killing. In fact, none of the surgical books I've read from period that I've read so far have said anything about that. They did what they could for the patients, usually explaining how to cause them the least amount of pain possible, given the conditions. Some surgeons note that there wasn't anything they could do or that people died because they couldn't get to them in time, but nothing about intentionally taking life. Remember that people had to put up with a lot more hardships during this time and my guess is that they would probably be more used to pain and would not be interested in being put out of their misery. I would also suggest that people who had problems that would cause severe chronic pain probably died of whatever was causing the pain sooner than we do today. The average life expectancy was lower (due to many factors - including diet, environment, health care available and whatnot) and the threshhold for inconveniences was probably higher. These are just suppositions on my part, however.

My TV is not hooked up to the outside world on purpose. Anything I watch is DVD or VHS. (Netflix. Love it. The entertainment world is my oyster.) See, I have this thing about commercials...it has to do with not pouring crud into the dulled, unguarded mind.

Well that was kind of my feeling. My Space is all spread out and finding people there is a pain in the arse if you don't know what to look for from my limited experience with it. So the friends function can serve as a method of linkage there. Here, I don't see where we have that issue. (It could even be sort of divisive unfortunately.) Sounds like a function I don't desperately need the use of, at any rate. Everybody's my friend. (Anyone remember the old Kansas song by that title?)

I'm just curious - what does the friends function do for us? I don't get it. Is it just a warm fuzzies thing? (Seriously, I'm genuinely curious.)

Actually, I was looking for info on the ocelot and the cast response to it a week or so ago. (If you do watch the show, pay particular attention to the way the ocelot behaves. It looks mean to me.) So I Googled "ocelot Honey West" and that came up. Then this discussion came up and the quote was interesting enough that I remembered it. Viola! (Alas, the wizard is always more amazing than the man behind the curtain.)

I forgot to notice Blackjohn's H'ween avatar...perhaps because it doesn't sparkle like Jenny's does. I have been watching old episodes of Honey West recently (which I don't particularly recommend - although they do remind me a little of Shell Scott novels - from whence the Honey West novels arguably sprang). Anyhow, Honey has a pet ocelot which is shown just about every episode and the thing looks mean. It clearly plays rough. So this made me curious about how the stars of the show regarded old Bruce the ocelot. And I found this: "During the production of the program the irascible ocelot became snarly and squirmy when it got too hot or tired. Anne Francis jokingly summarized her experience working with cats by saying "If a cat is happy, it bites and scratches; and if it is unhappy, it bites and scratches." From TV Acres. Anne Francis played the character of Honey West.

Wiseman is just full of interesting examples. Remember that there was no anesthesia at this time. "One was shot in the Face betwixt the Nose and Eye on the right side into the Ethmoïdes [a small bone that forms part of the eye socket and the nasal cavity] by a Pistol-bullet. After he had been cured some years of the external Wound in his Face, he became troubled with a Fretting Ichor [watery, pungent discharge], which discharged by that Nostril; and especially at his first rising in the morning out of bed it would run half a Spoonful of a yellowish colour, which had made a chop or gutter in the lower end of that Nostril by its acrimony. After some years he felt, upon bending his Head backwards or forwards, the Bullet to rowl to and fro over the Roof of his mouth. He complained to me of his Grievance at the Hague in Holland... I offered to his consideration the casting in Injections, or passing a Probe into that Nostril downwards, to try if either way it might be washt or thrust downwards into the gullet, or be excreted into his Mouth. But these ways had heretofore proved ineffectual. We therefore resolved upon the cutting through the Palat-bone. To which purpose I placed him in a clear light, one holding his head steady, while I cut into the Bone, that it would not yeild to my Spatula as expected: wherefore I applied a bit of Caustick Stone [made of a chemical which caused burning and destruction of tissue, applied here to remove the skin], and held it to the place with a Pledgit [compress] of Lint a few minuits; by which I consumed the soft fleshy part over the Bone, and afterwards cut into the Bone such a hole, that in the moving of his Head I could see the Bullet loged in the Hole: which encouraging us to proceed in our work, the Bullet was afterwards taken out, and he eased of that discharge of Matter which threatened a filthy carious Ulcer... since seen him at Court. But the Ulcer did not close up with a Callus; however the place is supplied by a small Plate without offence." (Wiseman, p. 417-8) I wonder what the small plate was made of? Here's another interesting one: "In another that had his Leg shot off, in the place of Amputation below the Knee, some two months after, when I wondred the Bone did not exfoliate [naturally cast off dead flesh], I put in my Forceps to try whether any part of the Bone was loose: and finding it very loose, I took hold of it gently, and feeling it willing to come away, I pulled it out. It was the Apophysis or head of the Os tibia, which makes the Knee. I was surprized at it; but considering what was loose must [be taken] away, I pulled it out, to the amazement of the lookers on. This was relaxt from its Ligaments by the force of the [original] blow." (Wiseman, p. 421) I'm guessing he removed the skin from the knee down after this?

Not to get OT, but have you ever seen a cat yawn? Check out those teeth - and we keep those things close by as soft, lovable pets. Sharp, pointy teeth! (Ok, that seems to have been posted almost entirely to get OT.)

But I'll be happy to go along as well and see what it's all about. (The three amigos.)

Ok, now make it your avatar.

Hmm. A Halloweeney avatar for the season? As one of the (two) masters of an absurd number of avatars, I consider this a challenge. (That one's far too cutesy, though.)

That's a good idea. You could combine it with writing things down and then have the group moderator read them for the discussion.

She did post a photo of herself. See this thread. (Now, if you'd visit us more regularly, you'd know that. )

...and their name is Jim.

I could do that, although they had a photo of another one (this eBay seller sold a whole bunch of these at once) and it just had black knotted twine-like thread from what I could tell.

I'll be arriving on Sunday, Nov 30, although I don't plan to spend much time at the fort before Wednesday. (Why plague Harry with my excess (lack of) help - I'll just skip in and pick up my bike and surgical gear and leave him blissfully unencumbered by Mission. :) ) I hope to visit Marathon in the beginning of the week and bike out to Pigeon Key and maybe to spend a day or so at Bahia Honda. (I need a new Bahia Honda T - I wrecked my old one. ) Although I would like to get that thing Tony wrote for properly expanding the size of photos in Photoshop. I could sure use that at times.

When you think like a five year old, you appeal to a five year old.

I recently read something quite interesting about brainstorming. For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept, brainstorming is sitting with several people coming up with ideas about how to do something or deal with a problem. As it was originally devised (well, from what I've read) and the way I've always done it with groups when I train them, there are a couple of rules for an effective brainstorming session. First, everyone has to participate. Second, remember that any idea is worth considering and, even if it sounds un-doable, it should still be shared. Third, every idea is written down. Fourth, no negative reactions or attacking of other people's ideas is allowed. Well, according to my social Psych book, attacking other ideas is actually more productive than not because new ideas come out of the back and forth discussions. (On the down side, however, I can see where this would discourage ideas from typically quiet people with unusual concepts to share.) I think it would work better with a group who was comfortable enough with each other not to feel threatened by criticism. Second, it can actually be better to brainstorm via electronic media (such as a forum...) than in person because people are more likely to share unusual ideas. Third, writing ideas down and then reading them out loud will thwart some of the groupthink that can occur when people are discussing ideas. (Groupthink is basically when everyone starts thinking alike and criticism or wandering too far from the "accepted" idea(s) is not tolerated.) The next time I do a brainstorm session, I may try that third one.

My neighbor, who conveniently has her doctorate in Psychology, loves to come over to my wee little garage in September and see what I'm doing. Last year when I did the Skeleton Tree, I turned off the lights and turned on the blacklight to show her what it would really look like. (The paint scheme is a bit dodgy in regular light, but that's because it isn't made for regular light.) I think she's got a morbid streak in her. She even brings her friends over to see the stuff. She had some guys working on her house and they brought a five or six year old boy with them. I was working on my kitchen cabinets in the garage and he wandered in and was fascinated with all the skeleton parts lying around. So I took him to the yard to see the raptor and then I couldn't get rid of him. I was someone's hero for a half hour.