Activity

@anne_the_noob14

DOGGON IT I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED MY PREVIOUS ANSWER, HERE WE GO AGAIN.

So as a nursing student and an amateur scholar of medieval history, I can speak a little into this. The appearance of the wound depends on the stage of infection and what caused the wound in the first place: [Laceration (a cut)? Puncture? Burn? Pressure ulcer? Crush cut (blunt trauma coupled with breaking the skin)?]

I’ll assume the wound you’re thinking about isn’t a pressure ulcer caused by sitting too long, but probably either a deep cut or a wide puncture (sword / arrow / knife, etc.). The infection is going to most likely stem from invading bacteria or fungus infiltrating the local site of the wound. In just about any infected wound, the area around is going to appear red and swollen and most likely feel hot to the touch; this is the body’s natural immune reaction to foreign bodies (germs) getting in under your skin. Phagocytosis is going to result in the creation of a lot of extra pus as the immune system’s local white blood cells tries to eat the bacteria plus any infected tissues, then commit suicide and turn into that lovely goopy yellow-white puree, destroying whatever they ate. Certain bacterial, fungal, and amoebic infections can cause the pus to change colors, from green to bright yellow to brown, as well as texture, from creamy to that of anchovy paste. This will be the most visible sign of internal infection in an open wound. Furthermore, the wound is going to absolutely reek. Here your imagination is going to have to suffice, as I personally can’t smell; imagine the rankest, dankest smell you can. The smell of an infected wound is the smell of active, rapid decay.

While eventually pus will be drained away, it can accumulate faster than the body can get purge it through the lymphatic system, resulting in local swelling into pimples; if they’re big enough or causing pain, you can lance them. In addition, on the exposed surfaces of the wound (the inside of the cut) you’re going to see ‘slough’ or necrotic (dead) tissue (often has a leathery, crusty texture).

Apart from pus, some infections (e.g., funguses like athlete’s foot) do produce fruiting bodies – patches of bright coloration, depending on the fungus or mold – you may see white, green, yellow, or blue. Dead skin on more superficial wounds will appear bright white-yellow if it’s wet, or yellow and crusty if it’s been left too dry. A cut or puncture will feature slough especially on the bottom and sides of the wound, while the upper portion may or may not show pinkish raw tissue as a sign of regeneration, depending on whether the infection or the immune system is winning.

Uncontrolled, the infection will generally spread radially until it reaches a capillary or an artery, at which point you’re going to see inflammation and pus build-up spreading systemically through the bloodstream. This would be the streaking you’re referring to, and this is a sign that things are going very, very, very badly.

If the infection gets into the bloodstream and you don’t have modern antibiotics or some kind of magic, you’re most likely toast. While medieval surgeons were far more knowledgeable than we give them credit for, using mandrake root for an anesthetic and honey, arsenic, and alcohol for antiseptics and tourniquets to staunch bleeding during emergency amputations, antibiotics simply didn’t exist in those times. The best they could do with any sort of systemic infection was to give you whatever herbal remedies they thought might help (which might also kill you) and administer last rites. If initial infection was not prevented, the only thing that could save you was your own natural immune system and prayer.

Let me know if this was helpful or too long.