Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with splinters

Help me find evidence concerning the deadliness of splinters

ubernostrum — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:54:12 -0800

I just watched the Mythbusters pirate special, and I'm looking for historical evidence to argue with the cannonball/splinter conclusion. (don't click through if you don't want spoilers) The myth in question concerns the deadliness of splinters thrown out by a shot penetrating the ship's hull; after testing with air cannons and a replica six-pounder, they weren't able to produce significant splinter-related injuries to the pig carcasses in use as human analogues.

Much as I'd love to argue with the methodology, it was probably the best that could have been done; finding a heavier ship's gun (say, in the 18-pound to 36-pound range seen on warships of the 18th and 19th centuries) and being able to test fire it doesn't seem likely. So I'll leave the methodology alone; instead I'm hunting for historical records which would support the threat posed by splinters and similar debris.

I've done some initial poking around in Google and found a couple promising items (for example, this description of a Revolutionary War battle lists two splinter wounds, one of which apparently proved fatal), but what I'd really like is to get my hands on some real historical accounts -- the more primary the source, the better. A really good example is this Wikipedia article, which (while being horrifically badly formatted) reproduces a British captain's official letter detailing a battle from the War of 1812, including mention of two splinter wounds. Unfortunately, if there's a web-accessible repository of these sorts of captains' reports, I haven't been able to find it.

Anyone know of such a thing, or of similar records which would contain relevant information? I know the evidence is out there, I just need to find it!

What kinds of splinters must be removed asap?

sirion — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:33:38 -0800

Splinters: So is it true that some sorts of splinters will burrow into your skin if you don't get them out, and require surgury and nastiness? If so, which sorts of splinters? Conversely, which types of splinters can you reasonably assume will fall out on their own in a day or two?

My son, the one-man splinter cell

Merdryn — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 07:54:33 -0800

My 16 month old son was at a party on Sunday, and appears to have gotten himself several dozen small splinters on the side of his left calf. It's a bit red around them, as you'd expect, and he won't sit still long enough to let us work 'em out. There's got to be 30 or more, real small dark splinters, so I can't say I'd expect him to sit through even one or two. Anyone have any advice on what we can do to alleviate the pain or help them come out naturally? We thought about smearing some kind of salt water concoction, or something like that. Not sure if it'll help, though.

How do I remove invisible fiberglass splinters?

treepour — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 18:08:43 -0800

Invisible fiberglass splinters in my hands -- how do I get them out? Helped a friend with a project that involved working with sheets of fiberglass . . . the gloves kept out most of the splinters, but quite a few still made it through. I managed to get the visible ones out with tweezers and then duct tape, but I apparently still have several invisible ones in my fingers, making it quite tricky & painful to do anything useful with my hands. Can I get them out? Or do I just have to wait until I shed a few layers of skin?

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with splinters

Help me find evidence concerning the deadliness of splinters

What kinds of splinters *must* be removed asap?

My son, the one-man splinter cell

How do I remove invisible fiberglass splinters?

What kinds of splinters must be removed asap?