Here is a Cracked take on survival. I found the writer somewhat pretentious and at times, well, wrong, but some familiarity with the field is evident.

Kudos to the author for having the guts to write this. On the other hand I think most of us will agree with Rodion on this one. Besides, the author never did tell us the right way to beat the shark (he mentioned an alternative supposedly correct method on everything else). Seriously though, Sybert, I don't think he was being serious. Look through the rest of that site. Did you notice this comment:

"Do you have something funny to say about a random topic?"

I suggest you avoid sites like that. Be careful what you read on the internet. Any quack with a little computer knowledge can put up a website and put information out there that looks legit. And any goofball can post what he thinks are funny comments about what we consider a serious topic. That concludes our PSA. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming ...

EDIT: Correction

I won't take everything as sound advice - but I like the way he pounds some old myths to pieces. Neither arbitrary advice from the internet nor myths should be taken as survival gospel. Use facts and clear thinking...


Speaking of facts - does anyone know of reliable facts about the potency of bacteria in saliva to infect wounds? I'm not out of the blue proposing anyone to lick open wounds as a method of cleaning them. But I have a strong gut reaction when the article blatantly implies that saliva bacteria is almost guaranteed to infect the wound. (It's in the article about sucking the poison out of snake bites). Without scientific facts to back it up, I really don't buy into that bacteria that are living in your mouth (creating bad breath and so on) will live and multiply (infect) when transferred to wounds. I want PROOF of that happening. Otherwise it's just replacing one myth with another...

Is there a 'guarantee' that your saliva with infect you....NO. Think about it though.....these bacteria are already IN your body. So your immune system will probably not 'see' them as too big a threat. But human bites are far worse than a dog or cat (Solely on the bacteria thing---not on trauma, ripping, jaw pressure etc) in the regards of infection. Ask any ER doc... they can be the worst. Do "I" have the 'documentable proof' you want. Maybe if I dig through 20+ year old college notes (Dang....has it really been that long?!?!?) from my microbiology class. But it is established.

There are millions of bacteria on and within the body, some are potentially pathogenic (disease producing), some are outright pathogens, some are commensal and many are beneficial. However, most bacteria will cause disease if they colonize an area of the body where normally are not found. For example, a huge percentage of the human population are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of their skin, causing little to no problems, but when the organism enters an open wound or the blood stream, a major life threatening situation may occur. The mouth is loaded with bacteria, again most will not cause any issue while they remain in the mouth, but introduced into an open wound or the blood stream an unintentional infection may occur.

The oral cavity as a reservoir of bacterial pathogens for focal infections

Pete

Disclaimer off the bat, I am no expert on the subject. However, IIRC, I read or watched something about this one time a LOOOONG time ago. Given small wounds like scratches, your own saliva can actually be beneficial to begin healing the wound. Have you ever scratched or stuck your finger and instinctively put it into your mouth? That's what I'm talking about. I don't think this would apply to larger wounds and certainly someone else's saliva in the wound creates a host of other issues. FWIW.

Cracked is a comedy site I frequent (and at one point contributed to). I just don't think it's wise to rule out good advice, wherever it comes from.

To each his own ... I will stick to reliable sources with information based on real world experiences.

Here's an article on just that subject, and why it works: Licking Your Wounds: Scientists Isolate Compound In Human Saliva That Speeds Wound Healing

But they don't seem to mention anything about a contaminated wound.

Sue

Not to seem like a jerk, but... How did i get pulled into this conversation? i just now read it!! either way, hitting a shark in its nose is dangerous because you could slip o te srarp angle of its nose and cut your hand on its teeth or it could take your hand off, either way it invites serious infection!