Injury to Order: Hand Injury from Maintaining an AOS Wooden Sailing Vessel

[carlyinrome]

Hi! So, I am writing some historical fiction, and I am drowning in research, but it's been a few days and I still haven't found a good solution to this problem, and you guys are consistently awesome about helping find answers to questions like this, so I thought I'd come to you.

Setting: Early-18th century (the year isn't strictly important, but

Comments

[rhiannon_s]

Just off the top of my head, I'd say having a crush injury from a bit of block and tackle would fit the bill. Crush injuries are always hard to gauge at first, badly bruised and swollen hand could be concealed in loose clothing and in the time period the general care would be wait and see what happens. Your character could justifiably fear something badly broken and infected only to be relieved when the swelling started to go down and he got the range of movement back.

Or even just a slip and fall from a low height to land awkwardly on their hand could give a pretty nasty sprain/fear of something broken.

[beesandbrews]

I second a crush injury. Or a good old slam against something from a slip and fall. Having done both, without the benefit of being on shipboard, those sorts of injuries can be a bat-rastard to contend with, hard to judge the severity of at first or even second blush, and they tend to be a plague while they are healing.

[carlyinrome]

Thank you for your advice. I never would have thought of that. Since you have experience, do you happen to know whether a small intervention from a medical professional could make some difference? At first I was thinking compartment syndrome, but that has to be dealt with super fast. Like, the surgeon lancing something to relieve pressure or something? I just thought I'd ask you since you've had experience, and tbh the pictures in getting on Google are...upsetting.

[rhiannon_s]

Just strapping it up, to immobilise it is pretty much the only thing that can be done. And washing out any cuts and abrasions (probably done with seawater, because that would be cleaner than the "fresh" water on those old boats).

[anonymous]

I would say a deep laceration/near amputation by wire or rope, since there's a lot of that in use on board. All it would take is the rope getting around his finger and tugging fast and hard. It could be just deep enough to be scary without him losing the finger. Or really just a deep cut to the finger or palm since there are knives in use too.

[anonymous]

What everyone else said ... but also:

A fire-based injury is exponentially unlikely. Fire on a ship of that era is treated like a nuclear reactor on a modern vessel: with _paranoid_ caution.
The only usual source is the galley - a small brick-lined area, with limited air-flow, away from any important ship function that could be easily disabled, and with no straight-line path to the outside. Fire-fighting drill would be a regular event, at least on naval vessels.

If these pirates are smart, any captive will not be allowed near the galley nor (probably) to carry lit lanterns, etc.