Bullet wounds ... again

katiemac said:

I've asked some similiar questions in the past, but I'm really trying to work out the nitty-gritty details for a final draft.

I've got a character who gets shot in the shoulder, and the bullet is removed with technology similiar to what would have been available in the Civil War. The wound would be cared for in the same way.

Now, I've contemplated moving the place of injury to his upper arm instead.

Basically, I'm looking at recovery time for both injuries (shoulder wound and arm wound). The character needs to be up and running at least a few days afterward, not in perfect shape, but healthy enough. Initially, right after the shot, the character needs to do some walking (not much) to get to help. From what I understand, neither shot would be dehabilitating. Also, what amount of blood loss can be expected? Enough to cause shock, dizziness, fainting, etc.?

These and any other points you feel I'm missing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Again, it all depends of what type of weapon he's shot with. In a way, weapons during Civl War times were more debilitating. Getting shot in the upper arm with a .40-50 caliber soft lead bullet usually means the arm is coming off. Getting shot in the shoulder means that guy may well die, and if he doesn't he won't be up and around for weeks.

Distance can certainly affect the severity, even to the point of the round being spent and just bouncing off. Caliber also affects the severity. So does muzzle velocity. A fast enough round can cauterize the wound it makes.

Also depends on where the victim is hit. Get a major blood vessel and you can guarantee in most instances that he'll be dead before any real medical attention can be reached, let alone given. Hit a bone and break it, you've got more problems.

Accuracy on your shooter's part isn't your real problem. There's a book with information about wounds that might be useful to you. Sorry, I don't have it nor do I know its title, but I do know it's out there. You might try an Internet search on writer's guide to wounds or something like that.

One of the nice things about round balls is that sometimes they went straight through muscle tissue without too much damage to surrounding areas. There would be a hole, but the ball could push blood vessels without necessarily breaking them.

However, the Civil War was also a time of massive weapons experimentation which, combined with European War atrocities, resulted in the first international weapons treaty at St. Petersburg in 1868. There were exploding bullets, poison gas bullets, bullets that contained fragmented glass in the tip (to ensure that the enemy combatant died, because the surgeon often couldn't see the glass pieces in the wound.)

There were also advancements in medical treatment. Germs were a new and astounding thing discovered by Louis Pasteur in 1858. But doctors who came to believe in the ability of invisible living things to infect a wound learned to wash themselves and their patients. This saved many patients from losing limbs.

So, there are lots of things to play with during this time, depending on what you want to achieve. You can make the doctor who looks after the wound be a follower of Pasteur, who tends the wound well, or one who still believed that smearing fresh horse manure on the wound would help it heal (honest!) Your choice!

Hope that helps!