Malian Arrow Injury

[dean]

Hello,
Was wondering if there were any doc's or anyone in the know out there who could help. My question is regarding the Malian arrow injury.According to both Arrian and Plutarch, we find that Alexander was lead close to the point of death by this two metre long arrow lesion. Arrian, taking Ptolemy's account, says that the blood was mixed with air escaping from the wound. There was massive haemorrhaging leading to a loss of consciousness both before and after the extraction of the arrow- which was done with no anaesthetic whatsoever.(The loss of consciousness must have acted as a natural anaesthetic.)Renault indicates (as a nurse with considerable experience) that the typical result would be that the tissue would knit to the nearest rib of the wound causing indescribable pain with even the slightest movement, even breathing would be agony.Well anyway, I thought, if there were any doc's out there we could talk a little about what Alexander went through especially bearing in mind that the Gedrosian march was looming portentously in the distance. How did he manage to live after receiving such an arrow injury? Was the arrow injury what made his life so tragically short? (It must have been somehow related)Renault also mentions in her "The nature of Alexander", that Malian arrows were two metres in length and that simply removing his corselet would have caused great haemorrhaging too.Many Thanks,
Dean.

[agesilaos]

I have posted about this before but late in a thread. Ptolemy was not present at the event yet was well able to describe such a wound graphically; other authors Plutarch and Diodoros point to a chest woumd ie not a penetration of the lung and the procedure used to extract the barb applies only if there were no vital organ beneath. Ptolemy exaggerated the severity of the wound to enhance the cult status of Alexander, whose body he had stolen to be a tourist attraction. The speedof his recovery and continued endurance speak more about Ptolemy as an historian than ATG as a man.

[beausefaless]

I had a punctured lung from a broken rib it was so hard to breath I though I was dying and the pain was extreme every time I moved, the doctor placed a tube in my chest for drainage and it took two weeks to heal with the help of oxygen a few times a day what I'm saying is if the arrow penetrated in the right area of the lung and Alexander was positioned the correct way for his lung to properly drain he could have healed with in a month.

[Tre]

Too Bosworthian, Karl :-)I have posted about this before but late in a thread. Ptolemy was not present at the event yet was well able to describe such a wound graphically; other authors Plutarch and Diodoros point to a chest woumd ie not a penetration of the lung and the procedure used to extract the barb applies only if there were no vital organ beneath. Neither Arrian or Curtius would agree. Some points Bosworth failed to make - the assumption that a physician would not attempt to save the King (imagine what would have happened to the physician if no attempt had been made)and that all physicians followed one prescribed mode of behavior. All lung wounds were not fatal - why do we know this? Because sequelea are described in the ancient literature.Ptolemy exaggerated the severity of the wound to enhance the cult status of Alexander, whose body he had stolen to be a tourist attraction. Bosworth fails to take into account the details of the wound would not have been public knowledge, particularly considering it would have had permanent consequences. It should surprise no one that we would have conflicting reports as to the nature of the wound. I would say he took the King's body for other reasons, none of them being he wanted a tourist attraction.The speed of his recovery and continued endurance speak more about Ptolemy as an historian than ATG as a man.The speed of his recovery was not excessively fast by my calculations. What we do have here, is a man protecting his King by omitting details of his debility and therefore his mortality. You will note the King who leads his men into battle and performs great deeds of martial skill is no more mentioned after this wound. As I said, Ptolemy was a man who would rather omit than outright lie. Regards,Tre