I got a very interesting e-mail from a writer (at least I hope it was an actual author– sometimes I’m not so sure.) about swords. In it, she describes and includes photos of three different types of swords and queeries about what type of “blunt-force” injuries these might cause– particularly with such and such kind of armor.
Honestly, this is not my strength but I could tell her sword type injures are “blunt-force” trauma. Blunt for trauma is like hitting your chest on a steering wheel or getting punched in the face. Swords are sharp, are meant to impale so these would be termed more like stabbing, impalement, laceration . . .
But, it did get me thinking about treatment of sword injures in medieval times. I guess it is the curse of the medical nerd so I found a few link and some interesting facts but cannot necessarily speak to the medical accuracy of them but they make for interesting reading.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081219043021AAFTAs1
And some links from Google books about medieval medicine but they likely don’t include the whole text.
1. Medieval and Early Renaissance Medicine: An Introduction to Knowledge and Practice
3. Visualizing Medieval Medicine and Natural History, 1200-1550
Do you have other sources for medical treatment during Medieval Times?
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