Gangrene

I shall never forget the first time I came across gangrene. I was but a young apprentice to become a barber surgeon, and was presented with a man who had cut his toe on a scythe. The smell was much worser than any rectrum disease I had tried treating before.

— Barber surgeon Yehan Lesosmol

Gangrene is a rapid degerioration of tissue often caused by a wound. Often gangrene affects arms and legs, including toes and fingers as well.
There are some surgeons and doctors who believe the gangrene is connected to either phlegm or black bile due its blackish nature and the theory of natures connection to the body.

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Causes

To determine the cause of gangrene is simple enough. A wound or sore can cause gangrene to happen, but the right conditions have to be met. How these conditions are determined is yet unclear. Some argue it has to do with seasons, since it seems to be dry and cold, as if a withering of the limb is happening. But there have been reports of people with gangrene around the year, making the seasonal theory invalid.

— Yehan Lesosmol

The gangrene disease is often associated with two causes depending on the type gangrene. Currently, we know of two types: dry and wet gangrene. However, the two is very alike and sometimes both can happen at the same time or after each other.

Dry Gangrene

Dry gangrene is, like the name suggest, is associated with the element of earth because of the dryness. When the element of earth inside a body exceeeds the other three elements, it makes the body become dry and cold and dry. When the skin is breached by an object such as a scythe or a weapon, and blue spots have apperared before in that area, it is more likely for the wound to have dry gangrene. The blood transport is somehow clocked inside the limb affected, and makes the wound unable to produce any kind of body liquid, it simply dries up and becomes mumified.

Wet Gangrene

Wet gangrene may develope after a severe burn, frostbite or injury. When a dry gangrene happens, sometimes the wound starts to rot, making it smell horribly, and will spread slowly to the rest of the body. If gangrene starts to spread, the life of the patient can become rapidly endangered. A few argues it is because the patient is lying in a cold and moist area, it starts to evolve.

Normally gangrene takes a few days for the patient to be in lifethreatening condition, but there have been reports of a rapid growing gangrene, unknown to any treatment. If the patient's deity or luck is on the their side, removing the limb affected can cure the condition, but the chances are low. Normal gangrene have a higher change of success by removing the limb affected compared to this rapid gangrene, but every amputation is not without a risk.

Treatment

There is but one treatment for gangrene, and that is the aforementioned amputation, but even then it might not treat the condition. Of course should it be a severe wound, a treatment well done to the wound, may minimise the risk of develope gangrene. But there is no knowing when it comes to gangrene. It is all in the hands of the goddesses to make us pass the trials we undergo.

The poor man with his cut toe managed to get his gangrene treated by removing the toe. But the experience still lingers in my mind, that we know naught what evil lies at every corner, should we ever happen to cross its path.

— Yehan Lesosmol

Origin

Natural

Rarity

Common

Affected Species

• Mwahantath
• Ghrefeims
• Dynbodaul
• Harawyr

Symptoms

When gangrene affects the skin, the symptoms can include:

• Change in skin colour, ranging from blue, purple, black, yellow or red

• Swelling

• Blisters

• A severe pain that can be followed by a feeling of numbness

• Foul smelling liquid leaking from a sore or wound

• Skin that feels cold or is cold to touch

• There have been reports that patients suffering from blue spots on their skin, which can change their location, might have a heigtened risk of getting the dry gangrene should a wound appear.

• Some patients have found their wounds becoming itchy which makes the patient scratch and reopen any healing wounds

• Loss of feeling in the affected area, be it temperature or a general loss of feeling.

• Rapid necrosis

• Death