[at-l] Somewhat OT Help Needed

[orangebug74@yahoo.com (Orange Bug)]

That story makes more sense. Thanks for referring it. The gangrene was
the "dry" variety, although there was fungus and stench from the
rotting dead flesh of his toes. The bones were not entirely dead, with
at least some periosteum still intact and able to confer pain when he
attempted to cut off the bone near the joint. His body had done the
autoamputation of the distal toes, hence the lack of bleeding he
reports after removing the stumps. He might have benefited from a skin
or tissue flap to cover the bones and perserved some function of the
toes. By leaving the toes and feet uncovered, he provided opportunity
for drainage and less opportunity for the infection to head further up
his feet and legs. If this had occurred, he would have had the "wet"
variety of gangrene, with infection along fascial planes and up his
veinous and lymphatic drainage. Amputation of his legs would have been
necessary. Assuming this was in the 1920's, if he had been in a city,
it is likely he would have suffered a mid foot amputation to help
prevent death (probably still would in the 2000's).

My father (a Canadian) described similar pain and appearance of his
left (?) foot following a burn from his BSA Indian during the late
'30's. He said the docs cut his skin to assure bleeding, and left the
wounds open. After many weeks in hospital, he foot healed and he was
surprised to have kept it. He was not better until 1940, had missed the
Battle of Britain due to the infection and scarlet fever, and hence I
am alive.

Bill....

--- Trailmixup@aol.com wrote:
> One account of this experience can be found in The Peter Freuchen
> Reader, 
> in an essay titled, "A Hudson Bay Expedition."  (Page 198 contains
> this 
> frightening description.)  I include it below.  Warning:  it is not
> for the 
> faint of heart.  On the other hand, Freuchen does exhibit a
> wonderfully 
> quirky sense of humor.
> 
> <<<<
> Gangrene is actually less painful than it is smelly.  As long as I
> kept my 
> foot inside the warm house the odor was unbearable, so we arranged to
> keep 
> the foot outside.  We made a hole in the wall by the end of my bunk,
> and I 
> put my foot out into the freezing temperature whenever the odor
> became too overpowering....


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