Max:

Ever since I learned that the most dangerous knife to you is a dull knife, and about allowing a cut to bleed, I have kept my knives sharp, and I have always allowed wounds to bleed before any treatment or bandaging. I do also take it one step further in that any small injury I get or help treat that does not bleed well by itself, I massage and force the tissue in that area to cause more bleeding to the injury. Before all you professional medics out there have a heart attack, please remember I am talking about relatively small cuts and puncture wounds.

An example; the other day I was opening a new purchase packed in one of those plastics that defys the sharpest razor with my knife. I was using a controlled cut with my thumb braced opposite the blade and going through that plastic as fast as a speeding turtle. I pushed just a little bit too hard without the thumb control in place, jumped out ot the cut I had been making and jammed the knife point under the nail of my left thumb. After the appropriate expletives, and self directed insults, I stuck my thumb in my mouth and sucked as hard as I could; no blood. I then started massaging the base of my thumb and forcing blood toward the point of impact; no blood. After all that, I washed it with soap and water, flushed it with a little 90% alcohol, put some triple antibiotic and a bandage on it. Despite the fact that there was no skin broken, that thing hurt for a good four days.

I, like Chris, believe you should let any open wound bleed out some, but unlike anyone I have ever talked to, I also believe in forcing more blood from a slow bleeding wound in order to flush it better before it coagulates.

Bountyhunter