My wife is constantly telling me I am full of useless trivia (she calls it discovery channel trivia), but for some reason I just can't ever seem to get enough and I love finding out something new I didn't know about or hadn't heard of, etc. I figured why not start a thread because maybe I'm not the only one like this and we can all learn some new stuff in the process (always a dangerous thing!). Anyway the rule would be it should be some fact that can be backed up by proof from sources. It can be about almost anything, but it should have some sort of "AHA, that's where that came from!" or "WOW, I never would have thought of that!" or "COOL, so that how that was done!" factor to it. The subjects are almost limitless and could be from Medicine, Weapons, Battles, Biology, Astronomy, Art, Culture, whatever you think others might find interesting too.....I'll just leave it up to the imagination.
I'll start us off.....
The first absorbable sutures were actually insects. As far back as ancient India and Egypt ants were used to hold wounds closed long enough for the body to heal them naturally. The technique involved holding the ant (commonly used species include: Carpenter ants, Leaf-cutting ants, Army ants) over a wound and its body squeezed so that its jaws instinctively shut, clamping the flesh together. The body was then pinched off. This process was later used by the Roman legions as a primitive, but effective medical technique during battle for injured soldiers and would often dress the wound with raw honey (which is actually an actibacterial) for a speedier recovery and to prevent infection.
Let's hear some more!
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Originally Posted by Erich_870
Good thing you weren't on my flight 
