I imagine we are all victims of Hollywood and urban myth. It is easy for Mcgyver to blow up a safe with a broken down .38spl round, or young Doctor Kildare to perform cranial trephanation with a nail file. My bubble was burst right after my my military discharge. I was handling .22 snakeshot and a freak detonation sent pellets into my right ring fingertip. I was told it would require extensive neurological reconstruction by Doctor A., but we had to wait for a specialist.Doctor B. arrived and demanded $5,000 up front from my non existent insurance. I finally staggered into the V.A. Hospital with my DD-214 in one hand. 5 hours after the accident a rather bemused Surgeon with two tours in Vietnam sat down with a probe, S/S pan, betadine and a lifetime of stories. 38 pellets and 3 stitches ( and a lecture about vets who should know better) later, I was still alive.<br><br>