Transcript

panel 1 [Jackson, alarmed at this sits up in a panic. Lawrence roughly puts a hand to Jackson’s chest to push him back while snapping up at Barzillai]

JACKSON:
What!? No, no, no,

LAWRENCE:
Hold him!

Panel 2 [Lawrence looks up at Ezra, who’s looking rattled but ready to do what he’s tasked with]

LAWRENCE:
I need you to keep his leg fast. Once I make the cut, pull the skin back so I can cut it from the flesh. I’ll need a clean wound to stitch.

EZRA:
Understood

Panel 3 [Jackson further protesting in a panic as he’s restrained by Barzillai and Ezra. Lawrence has slit the boy’s bloodied pant leg with a knife and is in the process of rolling it up past the wound.]

JACKSON:
You-you-you CAN’T you—

LAWRENCE:
You’ll be dead if I don’t! You’ve got half a chance if I do.
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Page 135
Posted on December 20, 2023 by Silas
Sorry for, inevitably another very small update this month. We'll get back into the swing of things soon..

8 thoughts on “Page 135”

  1. Oldarmourer

    Instead of letting the bone knit badly, it’s going to be knit one, purl two then stitch-stitch-stitch.

    From what I’ve been taught, the femur is about the worst bone to break other than the spine, it’s the strongest bone and takes a lot to break and it also makes a lot of your blood cells in it’s marrow so there’s that to worry about even if it didn’t split the artery.
    Worse, it often breaks in a spiral and in that day and age any compound fracture would likely have had a huge chance of infection and with no real way to set the bone ends and amputation was pretty much the only treatment, especially at sea.
    Even today it’s a major trauma that has to be treated properly and amputations aren’t uncommon depending on the damage.
    I bruised mine once from a car bumper and I’m surprised he hasn’t passed out from the shock….yet…wait until the pain kicks in.
    With any luck there’s some laudanum in the medical chest, or at least some brandy.

    Happy holidays to you and yours, hopefully next year is a better one..it can hardly miss…unless it takes this one as a challenge.

  2. Oldarmourer

    I get caught up in relating the details to past experiences and then overlook the big picture…the art is, as usual, accurate and very well drawn.

    1. SJ

      Thank you kindly!

  3. Hannah

    I’m a little anxious for the next panels! Did you have to do a lot of research on anatomy and injuries for this section, and if so, did you find it difficult? And twist!! Surprise doctor on a whaleship! Can’t wait to learn his secrets.

    1. Silas

      Some of it comes from the diary of an 1830s whaling journal of a man named John King who was a loose inspiration for Lawrence! He too was a surgeon who mysteriously joined as a foremast hand until eventually his identity ended up being discovered. But he outlined how he performed limb amputations. And then I…looked at pictures of compound fractures, got nauseous over it, and got the gist lol.

  4. Oldarmourer

    I can’t help wondering if the good Dr. is there because he’s botched this operation once too often and didn’t have malpractice insurance 😉

    1. Silas

      Much more interpersonal and melodramatic!

      1. Oldarmourer

        Cherchez la femme !!!

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