Merciful Crom….I knew the Middle Ages weren’t a walk in the park but, geez…
If the world really turns into a Stirling or Kunstler novel it may actually come to pulling arrows out of people. How did they do such things in years gone by? With an interesting array of horrific techniques:
Egads that looks horrible. And the guy leading the video looks more than a little creepily at home in this project. Someone go check that guys basement.
Realistically, I think that if anyone gets shot with a broadhead hunting arrow these days the odds are pretty good its gonna just punch right through. I’ve known more than a few elk hunters who tell me their arrows punch through both sides of an elk. Factor in a modern crossbow and, unless the point lodges in a bone, the bolt is just gonna whistle through.
Grisly business all around, that.
These arrow removal techniques have apparently been used for a number of years. Similar descriptions (sans crossbow) can be found in the book “Life Of A Soldier On The Western Frontier” By Jeromy Agnew. From medieval to the 19th century, if it works, why alter it?
Reminds me of Monty Pythons “Meaning of Life” lol.
I Dig Au:
But that was only a flesh wound…
Ceejay
Commander:
It is said that if you make a “Arrow Tool” from a silver spoon you DRASTICALLY reduce the chance of infection.
The problem is that each type of arrowhead requires a different model of tool.
Silver spoons are unlikely to be needed – arrow removal may well be…
Ceejay
Would copper be better since copper is much more antiseptic?
Bob:
Apparently not.
Silver is a better antiseptic than Copper when price is irrelevant.
Ceejay
I tried googling it, so my knowledge is limited. Silver appears to be most effective in moisture and heat, while copper is effective in any condition. Only specific silver alloys are used as an antimicrobial, while straight copper is the most effective. Copper bathroom fixtures are 99.9% germ free in a day.
In my experience, it really depends where you hit the animal.
It also depends on what type of arrow Head they used.
The last deer I shot with a crossbow, the broadpoint arrow hit and stuck in a rib and came apart inside the rib cage. The carbon fiber shaft also broke. If someone survived a hit like that, it would be VERY difficult to remove and clean up the pieces.
Wicked stuff, brother. Suspect we’d all prefer a clean death via 30-06.
There is an excellent video of a member of royalty, I forget who, who took N arrow in the eye and lived. The arrow lodged in place and it took some creative blacksmithing to design a way to get it out (think of a ruptured case extractor). It’s a fascinating video.
Yep, nasty business. All done without anesthesia and antisepsis.
BTW, alcohol is not a good idea as a painkiller: It will cause bleeding to increase.
These days we would (under general anesthesia) open the wound surgically, irrigate the hell out of it, debride dead tissue or foreign materials, repair what is repairable and likely pack the wound for a couple of days with a course of antibiotics…
Most all of that will not be available….got docs?
Almost every whitetail deer I’ve shot with a compound bow ( my primary deer weapon) the arrow has passed completely thru the animal. In fact most of the time the deer just walked away as though I’d missed. Then they topple over. Modern broadheads are wickedly sharp and highly efficient in terms of killing. And in a dystopian post apocalyptic future the silence the bow ( or crossbow) is a big advantage in terms of opsec.