Scalp laceration - 1870's "wild west"

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RBEmerson

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Following up on the discussion in https://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?346236-1870-s-quot-creased-quot-by-a-black-powder-44

MC has a "got his bell rung pretty good" concussion (magnitude as needed for plot), he's also picked up a scalp laceration. At the moment he's got "a turban like a shiekh" (or Sikh). Given there's all manner of manure, as well as general Bad Stuff, wafting about in the breezes, MC's new hair parting (was on the left but not no more!) is prime country for all manner of infection. Lacking J&J's "No More Tears" baby shampoo (one shudders at the thought of using lye soap) a) best way to keep the site clean and b) best dressing?

Having taken a "needs sutures" whack to the upper forehead (ouch!!!!!), the bandaging left me looking as though I stepped out of the "Spirit of '76" painting. MC, poor fella, took his along the top of his skull. About all I can think of is wrapping him up like Marley's ghost (albeit poor Jacob was bound up to keep his jaw in place).

Crease, sutures not required, front to back (ventral to dorsal) at about the typical place for a men's hair part (not a comb-over!!!) - dressing for a) managing residual bleeding and b) limiting airborne contaminants? Also, were any topical anti-bacterial salves (or whatever) existent, (including herbal materials)?
 
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Debbie V

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Moonshine. Of course alcohol hurts like, well I bet you know.
If you look up military sites from the era, you may find info on this. Lots of old forts have the surgeon's tools intact.
 

RBEmerson

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Funny thing about displays of medical kits that I either turn up on-line, or in person, is tons of saws and other really scary cutting things. Very little in the way of actual meds of any sort. Which is what prompted the "glop put on wounds" question.

I think I'd rather have moonshine on a wound than what as called whisky. The list of ...um... possible contaminants in whisky (sic) is either scary or nauseating. Straight 'shine has a better chance of being less contaminated. 'Course, some of it was/is injurious to one's health. Ah well, you only live once... [/ grin]
 

guppie1813

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Although you are correct to assume that infection is going to be the biggest problem here (after the bleeding stops, head wounds are notoriously bloody) the concept that 'germs' cause infection wasn't proposed until the 1850's (in France by Louis Pasture) and even then no one believed him. So I don't think your characters would have any concept of the need to prevent infection. Bandaging and covers at this time were probably used more to control bleeding, limit irritation of the wound to help control the pain, and keep out the maggots. That is why you don't find anything but saws and sharp stuff in the med kits from that era. They couldn't treat or control infection, but they could cut things off!
 
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CWatts

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Although you are correct to assume that infection is going to be the biggest problem here (after the bleeding stops, head wounds are notoriously bloody) the concept that 'germs' cause infection wasn't proposed until the 1850's (in France by Louis Pasture) and even then no one believed him. So I don't think your characters would have any concept of the need to prevent infection. Bandaging and covers at this time were probably used more to control bleeding, limit irritation of the would to help control the pain, and keep out the maggots. That is why you don't find anything but saws and sharp stuff in the med kits from that era. They couldn't treat or control infection, but they could cut things off!

Lister discovered antiseptics in 1867, but it was very cutting edge (sorry for the pun) for medicine in that era. https://hekint.org/2017/01/22/joseph-lister-and-the-story-of-antiseptic-surgery/

Apparently the Germans were paying the most attention in the 1870s, with the Prussia military adopting some of Lister's practices during their war with France in 1870. Maybe the doc is an immigrant?
 

RBEmerson

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The "EMT" is not German - Sullivan "never Sully" O'Rourke doesn't sound German to me, anyway. There's more to his history.

Whether or not he read about Lister is uncertain (but not impossible - it's also possible he'd intuitively gotten as far as dirty wounds die, clean ones don't - not a slow man is our Sullivan O'Rourke.
 
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