by Lizzie
On February 24, 2009, we went on a trip to Yorktown, Virginia. The most fascinating thing for me was that I got to pretend I was a surgeon and take a musket ball out of a man's side. I had to put my finger in the patient's side to feel where the ball was at. When I had found it, I used a tweezer-like tool, with scissor-like handles to pulled the ball out. A cauterizing tool is used next to stop the bleeding. The tool is put over a fire and made red hot. This is the only sterilized part of the surgery. No anesthesia is used during this procedure, so the patient will frequently pass out at this point. To keep the wound clean, I had to soak a piece of cloth in vinegar and pack it in the wound. I'm so glad I saved a life! ;-)
by Lizzie
No comments:
Post a Comment