Comic Genesis Forums

Silver compounds have some antiseptic qualities. Silver nitrate is sometimes used to staunch the bleeding of small wounds. I couldn't say if metalic silver in its pure form would be effective, though.

UncleMonty wrote:Silver compounds have some antiseptic qualities. Silver nitrate is sometimes used to staunch the bleeding of small wounds. I couldn't say if metalic silver in its pure form would be effective, though.

Oddly enough - and I'm not joking - I'm allergic to silver. If I wear it long enough (usually around three to seven days non-stop) I get chemical burns from it.

Doctors usually roll their eyes at that - until I demonstrate. Then they either try to pretend they never saw it, or start to salivate with that gleam of "I've got a potential JAMA article here ... now, how to trick.. err.. convince him into being a good little experimental subject."

Although on rare occasion, I get a doctor who just shrugs and says "I've seen stranger things."

shyal_malkes wrote:and another one I just thought of, I have heard of travelers back in the day carrying silver coins, not for money but because silver was said to reduce the risk of infection if you rubbed it on a wound. if done wrong it may reduce infection but would also discolor the skin. my question(s) is(are?) has anyone else heard of this or was I just getting scammed (I didn't buy anything from the guy who was telling me about this) and number two, would the Rac-cona be into the same practice (though probably not a whole coin but maybe a flat piece or something.)

I can tell you that the medieval medical dictionaries said nothing about silver to be used in treatment. While there was a fad for precious metals in potable form, the preference was for gold; silver, after all, was corruptable, as seen by the tarnish. Gold, by comparison, was a "noble" metal, pure and uncorruptable.

I'm not the author, but my opinion is that the Rac'Cona Daimh would not subscribe to the theory, in part for the same reason the medieval mind would reject it; you're putting something that's obviously decaying up against a wound. The "bread mold dressings" are at least a living substance; tarnishing silver has no such excuse. (The other reason is simple: Rac'Cona Daimh have fur. Rubbing anything across the skin, unless you happened to get cut on your hand or nose, would be awfully difficult.)

According to Culpeper, the most common treatment would be an unguent of Clown's Woundwort and Comfrey, preferably in a wax base to prevent separation and retard spoilage. The same blend of herbs could also be used in a potus.

(N.B.: While the reasoning is originally based on pure empiric, the facts support it. Whether you bother with the fact that Culpeper gives both plants the sign of Saturn, the fact remains that Clown's Woundwort and Comfrey both contain allantoin, which promotes tissue growth.)

Yours truly,

The literary,

Wanderer

(P.S.: If any of you are wondering why I know how to make a medieval wound salve, it's because I looked it up. A better question is why I looked it up... any ideas? Because I sure don't know.)

The problem with using silver is that it deposits itself in the tissue and turns the skin bluish grey or grey. This is called Argyria

see the odd thing is that I learned from the chemistry book that both gold and silver are mostly unreactive and don't combine with many other chemicles. now, they aren't as non reactive as the noble gasses but they are I think pretty aloof to most other chemicles.

my figuring was that if it was true it'd be more likely that the Rac-cona might practice something along those lines (you can always part your furr) since they use gold and silver anyway and would probably have some available.

Doink wrote:Please tell me that's not who I think it is!

Why do you think I titled that bit "Aargh!"?
(We all know "It ain't gonna happen, folks!")

Figured I'd make my own guesses about the remaining questions...

shyal_malkes wrote:"do the Rac-cona have that baggy skin that some mamals have?"

Hard to say for certain. I'd assume that their skin isn't nearly as loose as that of raccoons, since Rac'Cona Daimh have plainly distinguished necks. (Well, excepting Gilder, for obvious reasons.) The whole purpose of that loose skin in mammals is to allow the mammal to twist around and defend themselves, even if something has a mouthful of their pelt. It's still possible, of course... after all, they're not life as *we* know it... but I'd guess not.

shyal_malkes wrote:is there anything that the Rac-cona as a race on a whole, are alergic to?

Nothing that's been mentioned in the comic.

shyal_malkes wrote:are there any Rac-cona equivelent to either what we would call 'furries' or what we would call 'anthropomorphic fans'?

I'd say, "not exactly". Comparing yourself to an animal, or even feeling a kinship with them, is old; furry fandom is not. While some people in the Seven Villages may feel a kinship to animals, they're definitely pre-fandom.

shyal_malkes wrote:in my own stories there is a certain ammount of annimossity (a kind of "I am not an animal!" if you will) between the anthro characters and the true animal beasts. does such an animosity occur within the Rac-cona lifestyle. is it the opposite of annimosity? do they just not care either way?

No true animosity; Rac'Cona Daimh are civilized creatures who worship Yeshu. "True animal beasts", as any Rac'Conan will tell you, have no real opinion on the matter anyway. More of an accepting apathy; after all, who cares what the animals think?

Yours truly,

The wolfish,

Wanderer

my last question wasn't 'do the animals have some kind of apathy towards the raccona' it was more 'do the rac cona have any appathy towards other animals' or, to be more specific 'do they have any apathy against being compared to animals'

shyal_malkes wrote:my last question wasn't 'do the animals have some kind of apathy towards the raccona' it was more 'do the rac cona have any appathy towards other animals' or, to be more specific 'do they have any apathy against being compared to animals'

Ahhh, the light dawns!

(Sorry, Shyal, I misunderstood.)

In that case, the answer is "Yes", they do have a problem with being compared to animals directly, just like humans do... or so I would assume. After all, they likely took quite a bit of flak from humans just by virtue of their appearance; they're short and furry, with big eyes, a "kawaii" look, to use the Japanese term. In Real Life, an ordinary midget tends to take umbrage at the constant "cute", "sweet" and "adorable" lines, to say nothing of the rare people that try to just scoop them off their feet... remember Fen, being carried by the golem?

Likewise, human figures of speech don't tend to use animals for good things... while we do have horses for healthy and bunnies for speedy, when was the last time anyone used dog, pig, cat, bear or wolf to mean anything good?

Yours truly,

The wolfish,

Wanderer

(not to nitpick but as soon as you said it the joke just came to me)

Wanderwolf wrote: when was the last time anyone used dog, pig, cat, bear or wolf to mean anything good?

I dunno, when was the last furry convention?

(and here I've never even been to a furry convention)

shyal_malkes wrote:(not to nitpick but as soon as you said it the joke just came to me)

Wanderwolf wrote: when was the last time anyone used dog, pig, cat, bear or wolf to mean anything good?
[/qutoe]

I dunno, when was the last furry convention?

(and here I've never even been to a furry convention)

You never heard of the faithful and loyal dog or strong as a bear?

You also have to factor in that American idioms don't match elsewhere. To the U.S. a rat is dirty and disgusting, while to the asiatic countries rats are cleaver, industrious, and to be admired. To them the fox is the big troublemaker.

Maybe someone already addressed this, but who is that long-beared Rac? I don't remember seeing him before -- is he a wizard, or one of the elder clergy?

Also who is "Angel Bear" that people were talking about earlier in the thread?

Squeaky Bunny wrote:

shyal_malkes wrote:(not to nitpick but as soon as you said it the joke just came to me)

Wanderwolf wrote: when was the last time anyone used dog, pig, cat, bear or wolf to mean anything good?

I dunno, when was the last furry convention?

(and here I've never even been to a furry convention)

Touché!:) But then, we mean those terms a bit more litter-ally.

Squeaky Bunny wrote:You never heard of the faithful and loyal dog or strong as a bear?

Sadly, those idioms are seldom made use of in this day and age; the current usage of "dog" is to indicate lowness, servility or stupidity, while the use of "bear" more often refers to heft and hairiness. Als for English...

Squeaky Bunny wrote:You also have to factor in that American idioms don't match elsewhere. To the U.S. a rat is dirty and disgusting, while to the asiatic countries rats are cleaver, industrious, and to be admired. To them the fox is the big troublemaker.

Hm... <nod> A valid point, that. Likewise, while America considers wolves like me to be gluttonous, cowardly and fractious, Yugoslavia (back when it was Yugoslavia) actually used a "hardy wolf" as the symbol for the Olympics... Voochko!

Yours truly,

The corrected,

Wanderer

Steltek wrote:Maybe someone already addressed this, but who is that long-beared Rac? I don't remember seeing him before -- is he a wizard, or one of the elder clergy?

Also who is "Angel Bear" that people were talking about earlier in the thread?

Nobody knows who the long-bearded Rac'Conan is but Ralph, and he'll tell us in his own good time.

As fur "Angel Bear", he's a gent with a whole lot of friends. He's a Christian Furry who moderates Flayrah.com, as well as the God's Creatures Mailing List for Christian Furries. He also writes and draws the on-again off-again comic strip, Wild Angels. He even has his own fursuit.

Fur more in-fur-mation, you can check out his [url=http://angelbear_oh.livejournal.com/]Bearadise Journal[/url] or his userpage at Ursine.ca.

Yours truly,

The wolfish,

Wanderer