Zephaniah W Nash

Flushing out a wound with urine might not be a horrible treatment, as well. Urine, in general, is a sterile substance (unless there is some disease of the urinary tract, of course) although it is full of some toxins -- that's one of the main purposes of urinating, to remove toxins. Although, and I think I would want to discuss with a doctor before trying it, those toxins could very well be some that are not dangerous if they get into the bloodstream directly, as in being used to flush out or wash a wound. Considering the state of "fresh" water at sea, I'm thinking the urine may well be much cleaner to clean a wound with, if there is nothing else available. And considering Red Cat's post, not only is it very possible that the environment was generally healthier (although, onboard ship, the conditions might easily be as bad or worse as average conditions today), the people just tended to be healthier overall -- at least from a purely physical standpoint. Those who work harder physically and are therefore in better physical shape, tend to have a better chance of surviving wounds. Overall life expectancy is much lower (when you also factor in such things as lack of good nutrition, etc.), but the survival rates concerning such things as wounds is often better. Additionally, when considering wounds, most modern treatments (apart from antiseptics and antibiotics to help prevent/treat infection) are, in effect, making one comfortable until the body can heal its' own wounds. In some cases, that's the same with disease, as well. An overall healthier body will heal that damage faster than a less healthy one.

True that, Capt. Sterling, particularly for use in the re-attachment of severed parts. What I wonder -- and to bring this back to a more historical-type thread -- is if anything resembling the modern ick-factor would have been involved. It seems to me -- and this is pure speculation, of course -- it wouldn't have been viewed as... well... disgusting as it would to people today. Firstly, it would have been more common. We now have such a mental picture of medicine as clean and shiny and antiseptic, which folks wouldn't have had at the time. Secondly, particularly with maggots, it would be better than the alternative. I mean, even my modern mind would look at it this way: some nasty little crawlies wiggling around in that wound, or have the limb hacked off with no antisthetic... Bring on the maggots! What I do wonder is how difficult it might be to get the right kind of maggots at sea. Unlike leeches, they do have a tendency to turn into flies...

Careful, maggots are making something of a comeback in debridement (the removal of necrotic flesh). In animal treatment... And in humans...

Hmmm, that could, indeed, put a damper on things. And yes, I heartily apologize for that pun... The only heating I usually take is the lovely Elspeth, and for some unfathomable reason -- okay, it's very fathomable, the lack of running water -- she isn't interested in the camping available there. If I make the solo trip and camp, it will likely be in the next two or three weekends. Will post any such decisions somewhere here on the board as they come about.

And now I'm even more irritable that we didn't make it there this past weekend. We were overtaken by an unfortunate series of events... At present, our plans are for Nov 11-12, if nothing else comes along to foul up our plans, plus it isn't impossible (but not really likely, I guess) for me to make a solo trip on a random weekend before that. We generally grab a room in Conroe, but I've been considering going down and trying the campground. Will you be making any other weekends, Mam'zelle Devareaux...?

None of that kinda stuff in Texas county jails, at least. Er, so I hear. Um, I mean, read in a book. Yeah, that's it...

Hmmm... My own better half had something of a cold nose today, but luckily for all involved, I'm the only one that gives out furry smooches.

Maybe we should try it out in a test-run in Canada. Don't they have universal healthcare? And need something to keep 'em busy in the winter...?

Personally, I've been making a case for the reinstatement of dueling as a way of settling disputes, but haven't managed to convince much of anyone. I mean, c'mon, smoothbore, singleshot pistols or swords...? With modern medical science, hardly anyone would even die...

Well, I don't know about a teacher, but how about a statistician...? from the Skeptical Inquirer There's some fairly hifalutin' stats and math and stats and stuff in the article, and it doesn't get to bearing directly on these until about halfway down the page. Or, there's a simpler version here, which goes through the similarities one at a time.

Finally made one of these things myself, 'cuz I just gotta be like everybody else. What...? Someone's jumping off a cliff? Where, where?!? My MySpace Page

Dealt with two close friends breaking up with their significant others this week, so I'm a-putting on my Doctor Phil advice hat: Those with significant others: Give 'em a smooch, wine-em, dine-em, and bed-em. Those without significant others: You lucky slobs... Seriously, I just can't do much more sympathy drinking before really hurting myself.

We defintiely won't get to make it for the 14th and 15th. There are three of us now trying to make the trip, and my two companions just can't get that particular weekend off work. Now, it isn't completely impossible that this could change between now and then, but it just ain't likely. We'll be trying for a weekend a bit later in the season and I'll post here as soon as we have a decision. What brings you to Cowtown, Pigleg? That's where I'm at. Drop a line, maybe we can hoist a few while you're in town...

Yes, we definitely love the book, and has led a few of us to consider adding Calico Jack, Bonny and Reed into our work...

Hmmm, could be that I had it private... Switched it to a public file, maybe that will let others view...? If that doesn't work, anybody that knows more about video on PhotoBucket, please give me any pointers you have. Thanks!

Here's the short bios on our whole crew. Project began during a twelve-hour work-day when stuck "overseeing" from the office, so yeah, it's a bit... whimsical... The Crew of the Scandalous

I'm going to try to post this, but no promises. First time I've tried posting a video from PhotoBucket, so please bear with. It's 2.23 Meg, so it would be a long download. Voices plus movement. What'll they come up with next...? Pirate story time...

Will let you know either on this thread or the one on Raids, if anybody ever tells me when I'm going... Failing that, I'll drop you one in the mail and call it a late or early birthday present.

Still haven't managed to get people to commit to a date yet when we'll be coming, but I'm thinking since that particular weekend is getting so close, and they haven't yet, then probably not. Is that the only date you'll be able to attend...?

Siren-- Not sure if you're asking Foxe or me, but as for mine, so far they've been given away. Personally, I don't think I'd charge more than about $5 for the smaller one pictured, maybe $10 for the larger. You can't tell from the pic, but the larger one is a thicker suede. No false modesty, but mine are pretty cheesy when you can see 'em up close...

Here's a couple I whipped up -- pun intended -- out of suede: I think I've made a total of a half-dozen of these so far, all but these two quickly claimed by various people. I can work one of these up in about twenty minutes now -- and that's not to say, "Nyah, nyah, I'm faster than Foxe!" Rather, it's to say, "Nyah, nyah, these are cheap and cheesy compared to Foxe's!" And I did find out that while these little floggers make a dandy flyswatter in a pinch, they also do have some pretty good sting to 'em. Learned both lessons in the same action. Dead fly and several welts on me leg...

Still trying to wrangle dates out of all involved on this end, but by this time, it's not looking like we'll make it that particular weekend, drat it. That could still change, however, and if not, I'll be posting whatever dates we do manage as soon as I know. And, depending on exact locations -- and just how full our car actually ends up being -- we've certainly got no problems with caravanning or sharing an empty seat with someone else...

Any zombie fan that hasn't yet, should read The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. Mostly useful information for the inevitable zombie apocolypse -- even though I don't completely agree with all of his advice. For instance, he is quite enamored of the katana as the best weapon ever made. Personally, for destroying zombie skulls, I would prefer a nice hefty cutlass: heavier blade makes cleaving skulls easier, plus a good bell guard will help protect the hand from random zombie bites. A very tongue-in-cheek book, but written so well, you must might find yourself actually reaching for something to take notes in, just in case...

At TRF, it ain't the cognac, it's the mead that always gets me in trouble. By the bottle is so much more dangersome than in those little plastic cups... I'll pitch those dates to the rest of the crew. Some might be recognizeable, plus a new face or two, with any luck.

A few of us are going to try to make it (not a long trip from Fort Worth), scheduling and finances permitting. Couldn't give a date yet -- still waiting on getting everyone's schedules together, but hoping to know soon...