Battle Wounds and the Like

This thread may be a bit morbid, as I may have an obsession with death, but I feel like I need to know in regard with creating brutal and often horrific realism with bullet/battle/etc. wounds, but... I love when authors incorporate realism into their violence in order to make it much more intense and emotionally captivating, which I want to do in my writing. Stephen King does this very well I think.

So for example, would it be realistic if someone gets their thumb shot off/dangling off barely that they kinda laugh nervously, maybe play with it a bit, and then pass out from shock?

Would someone who gets shot in the gut simply shrug it off while adrenaline was surging through them and later be in horrible agony?

War is God.

See: Mood Whiplash, Laughing Mad.

As for it dangling from a gun blast, I doubt it. Shrapnel could work, depending which part of the body is closest to the explosion. Used to happen every so often in factories, before they got those cool Autosafe systems for blades and such on some machines.

Aw puck, Darkwing's on a killing spree again, we guillotin'in again.

Thanks for your post, but I was referring to the person's acting in that situation being realistic, not really the situation itself. Like, could someone in shock laugh about their finger dangling off and then pass out?

War is God.

Depends on how much pain they're in. To tolerate pain, sometimes the body just laughs it off.

Specifically, I don't see the big deal about losing a thumb on the battlefield (where I could lose much more), but if he lost some squadmates at the same time, that's reasonable for a sound person.

Aw puck, Darkwing's on a killing spree again, we guillotin'in again.

Well, he didn't lose any squadmates per se, but it was like he leaned out and took a shot, felt a sharp stinging sensation, looked down to see that a stray bullet had nearly taken off his thumb, it barely hanging on a flap of skin and muscle, and starts to laugh (he'd never been injured in battle before) and goes into shock.

War is God.

I think it depends on the person, their personality, state of mind, etc. It's definitely a plausible reaction, but not one that makes sense for everyone. Possible example: rookie goes out expecting to get horribly killed in the first five minutes, but the injury turns out to be not that bad and it doesn't even hurt(due to adrenaline). He probably won't go into medical shock though, that would require a bigger wound.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am...

Just remember one important rule: A character can be shot, stabbed, thrown out a window, etc., and not even be bothered by it.

HOWEVER: If somebody (most of the time a woman) tries to clean the wounds with a cloth, the character will wince and gasp as though they've been splashed with acid.

Embroiled in slave rebellion, I escaped crucifixion simply by declaring 'I am Vito', everyone else apparently being called 'Spartacus'.

Hell, that's even realistic, at least as regards the relatively pathetic "wounds" I've had. Messing with it afterwards hurts a whole lot more than getting it in the first place.

Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)

Well, vinegar or salt water would probably be good to clean the wound, and I bet those'd sting.

Be not afraid...

Wha? No, no no. You want to clean a wound with something sterile and purifying - alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide, or clean, boiled water. Vinegar would hurt like hell, I'm sure; isopropol alcohol*

definitely does hurt, hydrogen peroxide seems to be painful or not depending on the wound. So yeah, especially after the adrenaline from the fight has worn off, wincing probably will commence when the hot nurse is pouring rubbing alcohol over that nice large slash you just got.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Either vinegar or salt water would work, for the same reason that alcohol and hydrogen peroxide do: they're just generally hostile to life and cells in general, so they'll kill the germs as well. Vinegar or salt are field-expedient solutions basically because they would hurt like Hell to apply.

Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)

Salt water isn't near sterile enough to be truly safe, though it is at least inimical to most things that find the human body congenial.

Nous restons ici.

I've had wounds cleaned with salt water. (In a clinic, so it was obviously clean, not out of the sea.) It didn't actually hurt.

As for the OP: research from trustworthy sources is, of course, paramount. Hopefully that will give you what you need. I've no idea where you should start, though...

It does not matter who I am. What matters is, who will you become? - motto of Omsk Bird

Yeah, that's what I was going for. Bacteria don't like salt or acid, which is why you use them to preserve food.

Be not afraid...

*3 - My main complaint to vinegar and salt water is sterility - there are plenty of things that live in salt water that would cause infections. If you start with sterile water, you could add salt and use that. Vinegar, even fresh from an unopened bottle, I'm honestly not sure of. Rubbing alcohol (not drinking alcohol*

) and hydrogen peroxide are.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Well, the main point of disinfectants like drugstore H2O2 or isopropanol is that they kill germs, not that they're sterile to begin with. Vinegar, at least, is not going to infect you, because germs can't survive in it. I'd venture the same for sufficiently strong drinking alcohol. Of course, cooking vinegar and drinking alcohol have components other than acetic acid/ethanol, which might or might not be ideal for pouring on wounds.

edited 9th Sep '11 8:42:15 AM by alethiophile

Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)

Most of varieties of liquor can be used to sterilize wounds. Beer and probably most wine lack a sufficient alcohol content, but anything harder than that will do it.

Nous restons ici.

Regarding your character's reaction to the wound, after getting a severe injury it can take a moment or two before the pain really sinks in on a concious level, so I think someone initially laughing a little at their horrible wound is believable.

"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko

This. Shock tends to stop you feeling the pain, after all.

Actually, wine is decent for cleaning wounds, and has been used for that by some pre-industrial societies (such as in ancient Greece). It doesn't have a high enough alcohol content, but it contains other antibacterial chemicals.

It does not matter who I am. What matters is, who will you become? - motto of Omsk Bird

Speaking first hand, I shattered by leg in 6 places and didn't feel it until I tried to walk on it.

A cop also told me a story about a suspect being shot through the stomach and not reacting. The second shot to the stomach hit the spine just below the centre of gravity and put the suspect into a sommersault. In a later interview he said he was still conscious but didn't say anything because he was afraid the cop would shoot him again.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are probably right.

It's just funny how real life can work sometimes. I've heard that stomach wounds are agonizing later on, but usually adrenaline or shock will numb the pain at first.

edited 9th Sep '11 2:48:10 PM by Prometheus136

War is God.

My uncle was a cop for 34 years and he was investigating the shooting of a suspect. The guy was rushing another cop who yelled a warning and then fired his service revolver. The the suspect kept coming so he fired a second shot which sent the guy ass-over-tea-kettle. The cop holstered his weapon and went to administer first aid; the suspect didn't respond to verbal cues.

My uncle then interviewed the suspect in the hospital. Did he hear the officer's verbal warning? No. Did he feel the first bullet wound (an abdominal through-and-though)? No. Did he feel the second bullet wound (through the stomach and against the spine, just below the centre of gravity)? OH YEAH! "Were you conscious after the second bullet struck you?"

"Yes."

"Did you hear the officer speaking to you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you respond?"

"I was afraid he would shoot me again!"

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are probably right.

As long as we have a death/injury topic going, how likely is it someone could (temporarily) shrug off impalement upon a large, sharp object?

I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial

Temporarily? You can justify anything, as long as it's not head, heart, throat, or direct destruction of a muscle that you need to use.

edited 13th Sep '11 8:04:03 PM by alethiophile

Shinigan (Naruto fanfic)

So a direct impalement through the sternum should leave them relatively up and on their feet for a short while. Good to know.

I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial