How Much Material should Medical Aid require?

[TundralWhisper]

So, I'm brand new to Call of Cthulhu (though I did read through summaries of Lovecraft's Source Material), and so are my players. 

Not knowing anything and wanting to be careful, I gave the party of 7 a total of 80yrd of Gauze Bandage, as well as 8 pints of Rubbing Alcohol, just in case that was required for wound care.

However, now I find myself asking: How much Gauze and Rubbing Alcohol would taking care of a wound take? Whether that be First Aid or just general wound care after the immediate danger has passed.

[greger]

I would personally not worry about it.

But, if they are physically located in a place where more is not available, and they have to redo a lot of it many times over a period, you could make them run a luck roll at some point, to see if they still have enough. Or similar.

Most of the time though I do not do any detailed inventory of stuff. It doesn't really matter much.

[soltakss]

19 hours ago, TundralWhisper said:

Not knowing anything and wanting to be careful, I gave the party of 7 a total of 80yrd of Gauze Bandage, as well as 8 pints of Rubbing Alcohol, just in case that was required for wound care.

However, now I find myself asking: How much Gauze and Rubbing Alcohol would taking care of a wound take? Whether that be First Aid or just general wound care after the immediate danger has passed.

I have seen enough films to know that all you need to fix a bullet-wound, for example, is a sharp pocket knife, copious amounts of alcohol (To sterilise the wound, dull the pain of the procedure and give the First Aider some Dutch Courage), a clean handkerchief as a pad and some cleanish cloth to wrap the wound, preferably torn from someone's skirt or shirt.

Having actual first aid gear, such as dressings, gauze and bandages, would be a plus.

So, I wouldn't worry about it.

[EricW]

Mercury compounds would have been more likely for wound treatment, right up to the late 20th century, though antibiotics were a thing after they were developed around 1930.

Mercury chloride, used since before the 1800s, was sold as an antiseptic, with limited emergency wound treatment use or treatment of Syphilis. Merbromin, a compound of mercury and bromine, was developed in 1918 and was still in use in the 1980s, a very effective wound antiseptic. My mum always made me apply it to grazes and cuts, she was really upset when it was pulled from the shelves.

Everyone hear's "mercury" and thinks - deadly poison. But this was not the attitude even a few decades ago. The mercury compounds were used because they were really effective at stopping infection. I mean, mercury is a nasty cumulative poison, but compounds like Merbromin were not high risk for a single application - you'd have to bathe in the stuff to absorb a dangerous level of mercury.

if it was a choice of losing my leg to a nasty infection, or taking my chances soaking a wound  with a big bottle of merbromin, I'd try the mercury compounds. 

Mercury was readily available, it can be extracted from the ore by heating the mineral cinnabar. It was used for cleaning guns, making dental fillings (amalgamated with gold or silver), as a preservative, and is also a vital component of mercury fulminate, which was used as a primer in ammunition.

Hydrochloric acid, the other component required to make mercury chloride, has been around since the 8th century, and is prepared by mixing common table salt with green vitriol, a chemical salt which accumulates when water soaks through old mines.  

Edited March 4, 2022 by EricW