How Long Will It Take You To Die Wtshtf?

The physicians that stay in agricultural areas will likely not go hungry. Food will be a big bartering item.

This was true during the American depression for theater groups. I mean you actually have the proverbial "starving actors". There were exceptions. Witness Barter Theater in Abingdon Virginia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter_Theatre

"In 1933, when the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression, many people could not afford to pay for theater tickets, and many actors had trouble finding employment. A review by Paul Dellinger in the December 17, 2006 issue of The Roanoke Times summarized the situation as follows:

"But Broadway was not doing so much swinging during the Depression, when theaters went dark and actors found themselves out of work. Back in Porterfield's part of Virginia, farmers were stuck with crops they couldn't sell. That was when Porterfield came up with his genius of an idea, bringing actors to Abingdon to barter their performances for farm goods.[2]

"Beginning with 'some twenty of his fellow actors',[3] Robert Porterfield, founder of the theatre, offered admission by letting the local people pay with food goods, hence the name 'Barter'. He said, 'With vegetables that you cannot sell you can buy a good laugh.'[4]

"The original ticket price for a play was 30 cents, or the equivalent in goods.[5] Referring to the barter concept, an article in Life magazine's July 31, 1939, issue reported, 'What sounded like the craziest idea in the history of the U.S. theater is now a booming success.'

"Actors were kept very busy, even when they did not have parts in current plays. They contributed to the theatre's overall success by working on scenery, collecting props, directing and working in the cafeteria at the Barter Inn, where members of the troupe boarded."

https://bartertheatre.com/history/

Famous Alumni
"Over the years, Barter Theatre has been a stepping stone in the careers of many actors and actresses who went on to have incredible success. Below are just a few of the famous names that have crossed the Barter Theatre stage since our founding in 1933."

Ned Beatty
Will Bingham
Ernest Borgnine
James Burrows
Gary Collins
Hume Cronyn
Frances Fisher
Wayne Knight
Larry Linville
Patricia Neal
Gregory Peck
John Spencer
Elizabeth Wilson

Civilization goes on. Even in the NAZI death camps there were musical and theatrical performances -- and I'm NOT talking about the forced performances, I'm talking about the performances that were lost to history.

Post SHTF, where humanity is lost, where piety is lost, there will be annihilation. Where hope and belief in a Higher Power still exists, people will prevail.

Here's an excerpt from William Faulkner's Nobel Prize speech:

"I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."

https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/10/william-faulkner-nobel-prize-acceptance-speech/

If one has no soul, why survive the SHTF years! If one has no soul, they are already dead.
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I live in a very rural area...the suburbs off a tiny scattered comunity of about 4 or 5 hundred. I am a little over 25 miles from the Doctor or the local hospital that I will NEVER go into again if I am conscious. Instead I go 40 to 50 miles to a much better hospital in the nearest bigger city.

Small town hospitals are not designed or intended to provide the latest state of the art medical care. They are fine to handle injuries and the common ailments of old people and a place for ladies to go to have babies. It is NOT where you want to go if no one knows what is wrong with you!!!

They are good at stablizing you and then shipping you to bigger places if you are hurt bad or VERY sick.

 

I've had at least one workmate who got better treatment from a rural large animal veterinarian than from his G.P. physician and a dermatologist. He'd gotten some tropical infection while stationed where American troops were not stationed, wink-wink nod-nod. ...

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Our nearest real hospital is about 40 miles while our nearest minor injuries unit (and operating theatre for elective surgery) is just seven miles away. If you have a serious illness or complicated injury it is often necessary to be transferred to one of the major hospitals where the facilities are much better.
Our local GP Doctors are very good and tend to look after the community very well. Two of my neighbours are Doctors and I have the phone numbers of a few of the other GP's and know them socially.
I guess I'm just lucky....

 

I have my doubts about suturing. I don't know how effective it would be if you didn't know what you are doing. Could you do more harm than good?

IMHO this looks like a pretty good alternative; much safer, and less invasive to the patient. At least on the surface it looks better than suturing.

 

A really cheap addition to your first aid kit is a large pack of adhesive butterfly sutures.

 

Excellent suggestion! I had a stab wound one time and the sutures caused infection (S.American quack doctor, thankyouverymuch ... not). Some American nurse cleaned-out the infection and used butterfly bandages and the wound healed just fine. The scar is almost totally unnoticeable.

On either side of a lesion, apply tincture of benzoin to make the skin stickier. When tinct.benzoin dries, it is STICKY! It will actually stick to mucosal tissue. Some people apply it to canker sores. May not be a great idea for canker sores because tincture of benzoin is a tad poisonous. I've used it for years ... even on canker sores. I'm still alive ... after a fashion ... sort'a-kinda.

When approximating the two sides of a cut, do NOT completely close the wound! Leave a small space/gap between the two sides. You wish the lesion to dry and the blood to coagulate. Too, a closed lesion could accommodate anaerobic bacteria and you sure do NOT want that to happen. Let your immune system do its work. Place a sterile bandage over the top of the lesion. If the wound oozes, replace the bandage. Women's sanitary napkins will suffice if that's all you have.

Do NOT load the cut with antibiotic cream. Tell you the truth, medical petroleum jelly works just fine. Do NOT use petroleum jelly / Vaseline whose container has been opened -- it's been contaminated ... duh.
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