MEDICAL SERVE

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Medical treatment can be done by anyone. Most people can learn enough to do field treatment until a healer or other trained person can treat the injured. There are not always enough healers or trained helpers to treat all that might need it. Frees and slaves can follow the same steps, with the exceptions noted for cutting edges and being trained for a particular treatment, such as cauterizing.

Details on specific injuries are included on the treatments pages.

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MEDICAL SERVE OUTLINE

Ask the person where the injuries are. Determine what the worst injuries are and treat them first. Offer a painkiller for a person who is in pain. Clean the injury thoroughly. Remove any objects from the injury. Cauterize to stop fast bleeding. Stitch when it seems necessary. Apply healing salve. Dress and bandage the injury. For poisons, induce vomiting or give antidote or antivenin. MEDICAL SERVE STEPS

Ask the person where the injuries are. If there is any doubt that you can handle the injury, ask for a healer or another person that might have the training or experience.

Determine what the worst wounds are and make sure those are treated first (i.e. fast bleeding, limbs pointing the wrong way, major leaking of body fluids, difficulty breathing).

Offer something if the person is visibly in pain. There are quick acting syrups for this (willow and valerian). It may be followed up with additional syrup or tea.

Make sure to remove dirt, blood, fragments of metal, bone, wood, or other debris. Use tweezers, pliers or forceps to remove objects from the wound.

Soak a cloth in warm water with green herbal powder added, or distilled paga, and clean the wound thoroughly.

If there is fast bleeding, try to repair it. Use cauterizing only when there is no artery or vein bleeding. Apply pressure or a binding (tourniquet) to slow blood until it can be treated.

To cauterize, retrieve a cauterizing iron from the fire (slaves must ask permission to do so). If untrained in its usage, get someone that is and quickly. To cauterize, place the heated iron to the wound for five seconds, making sure to touch it to where there is the most bleeding.

If muscle is torn, check to see if arteries are severed. If there are, and you have not already done so, try to repair it. If no arteries are severed, and you are trained for it, take a threaded needle with dissolving gut and make an inner layer of stitches, knitting together the fibers of the muscle.

NOTE: Specific stitches are not mentioned here for the sake of easier role play. For those that have r/t medical knowledge, you are welcome to specify what stitch is used.

Stitch the skin closed with gut or silk. Move skin together, matching as best one can and making sure there is no puckering or bleeding. Snip it with scissors, scalpel, or teeth after securing the last stitch.

Coat the wound with healing salve making sure to apply it gently, as the wound will be tender.

Place a soft pad of bandage across the wound to cushion and cover it.

Wrap the wound in bandage to keep it clean and to prevent further damage.

Advise the person as to the healing time required, checking injuries for cleaning and fresh bandages, and any limitations on their activities.

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Thanks are given to Cabushan Tieri, Amukusa and Lysette for the use of their information.

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