Home operations?

[sweetheart]

If you were not able to get medical care, and needed to perform
a small operation to say cut a skin-canerous looking freckle off
your skin, what sorts of materials would you use?

I'm starting to wonder whether doctors are competent, and as i trust
myself more than a doctor, so why shouldn't i look in to small
operations for myself, to save money and doing a better job.

So my question is, what medical supplies would you want onhand.
I figure hot soapy water and a shaver to prepare the area, and some
x-acto knives for cutting the skin, and a needle and thread to sew
up an incision.

I figure if a doctor was involved, they would probably have better
knives for cutting, and probably access to proper pain killers.
I am reminded of a passage in the autobiography of jesse owen, the
sprinter, that as a child his parents cut a large softball sized
tumor off his leg... soap and water, with a sharp kitchen knife.

If you were preparing a medicine kit for a world without doctors,
what would you stock for an appendectomy? I'm starting to
be concerned that we should put operations instructions in the public
domain so that the millions of underclass persons who can't afford
healthcare can still get basic outpatient operations in a Do it yourself
style.

[FloridaPat]

1. Hydrogen peroxide kills lots of bad things and is good for the body.

I used it on me and my cats. My cats get infections when they get in fights and so far has killed the infection twice and I didn't have to taken them to the vet.

[murray hill farm]

2. That is a really interesting thought!

And i think you are right..there are a lot of small surgical proceedures we could do on our own with just a little guidance and the proper equipment. Iodine solution is a good thing to have to soak the area prior to cutting. I wouldnt recommend trying an appendectomy on your own...unless u were in a situation where there was no choice..but at some point in the future, this could be the case. I wonder if there might be books that give something like basic instructions for beginning docs...or for those living on deserted islands or such..ha! Anyway, interesting thought!

[MercutioATC]

3. I'd want a complete med lab on the premises.

Without one, you'd never know if that freckle was malignant...


At-home surgery is just a silly thing.

[undergroundpanther]

4. before doctors with degrees

And high tech medical equipment ALL surgery was home surgery.
Here be some links

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574090135/102-0729073-8396939?v=glance&n=283155
http://www.doctoryourself.com/index.html
Good luck!

[Moderator]

5. Locking

Members are not permitted to use Democratic Underground to get answers to medical questions as DU members are not qualified to provide medical advice, since such erroneous advice could, in the words of the surgeon general, be hazardous to your health. For sound medical advice please seek the advice of a trained medical professional.