[TheForge] bone clean up

[Bruce Freeman]

Dave,

Well thank you very much for clarifying you weren't including Bob and I =
among the maggots!

Anyway, I'd like to add the perhaps pedantic clarification that SOME =
maggots eat only dead flesh.  There are maggots that delight on live =
flesh, too, however. =20

In the present context, it makes little difference.  Basically, leave the =
bones out for the insects, and everything but maybe the ligaments and =
cartilege will be eaten.  Some bugs may even eat those.

In the dry parts of the country, dermestid beetles still may be active.  =
You do NOT want to encourage dermestid beetles around your home.  But if =
you have some place remote from home, then you can leave the bones there =
and soon they'll attract little spotted greyish beetles and their fuzzy =
larvae. They seem to like their food dry.  Get them in your home and your =
woolens, leather, etc., etc., are goners.

Getting back to maggots, for a moment:  For the sake of the non-squeamish =
(blacksmiths aren't squeamish, are they?) the main practical reason for =
distinguishing the live-flesh-eating from the dead-flesh-eating is for =
medical reasons.  Seems that in a pinch an excellent treatment for =
festering wounds is maggots.  The ones that eat dead flesh only.  These =
clean out the wound and leave behind the health tissue.   Get the wrong =
maggots, however, and you've got worse problems!

Bruce

>>> quahog@tds.net 12/13/02 08:58PM >>>
At 20:10 12/13/02 -0500, you wrote:
><PRE>maggots ???? you gotta be kiddin !!!

I wouldn't kid you.  I might kid Bob Schade or Bruce Freeman, but =
certainly=20
not you.  They (maggots, not Bob or Bruce) thrive on dead flesh.  =
They're=20
even used for cleaning infected and festering wounds.  They don't eat =
the=20
living flesh/meat, only the dead stuff.


Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI
ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG