Mel Gibson's Apocalypto - and Insect stitches ?

[loz.]

Anyone see this the other night?

Boy cuts leg, mother forces insect to bite pincers around cut, then breaks off body, leaving the head ( and closed pincers) , and closing the wound.

Made up Hollywood ? or a basis in reality ?

Loz

 

[louis_last]

There is a tribe that actually does this, I couldn't tell you which one but I've seen it in a documentary as well as apocalypto.

 

[John Fenna]

As I recall the soldir ant of a marching ant colony can be used in this manner...never seen it done except in documenteries...

 

[gregorach]

This technique is well-documented in both Ayurvedic surgery and in the Americas. I believe the classic paper on the subject is Gudger, E. W. (1925): "Stitching Wounds With the Mandibles of Ants and Beetles." [J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 84] if you can find it.

 

[calibanzwei]

Probably not something to keep in your First Aid kit!

 

[JohnC]

I recall reading this in "African Adventure"? a Willard Price book and wondered at the time if it was true..

 

[stevesteve]

I have read about it somewhere and the soldier ants in Iraq were certainly big enough for small sutures (~2-3mm) should you have wanted to give it a go.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Wallenstein]

I recall reading this in "African Adventure"? a Willard Price book and wondered at the time if it was true..

I have a whole heap of random knoweldge gleaned as a youngster from those books

One that's yet to be of use is a technique to let you lead a tame cheetah around by hooking you finger behind its canines... I'm sure it'll come in handy one day though!

 

[VirusKiller]

forces insect to bite pincers around cut, then breaks off body, leaving the head ( and closed pincers) , and closing the wound.

Made up Hollywood ?

I seem to recall a certain Jack Rambo doing this in First Blood. It could have been another movie, but I've definitely seen it somewhere.

 

[loz.]

I seem to recall a certain Jack Rambo doing this in First Blood. It could have been another movie, but I've definitely seen it somewhere.

No - "John J" Rambo had a needle and thread in the handle of his very large knife.

 

[VirusKiller]

Must have been a documentary then! (John, Jack, whatever! JFK didn't mind! )

 

[Atesca]

Friday uses this technique in NBC's new series Crusoe, but I wouldn't use this programme as a source of bushcraft tips, unless you want to build an all wood, 6 orange, pulley driven juice maker at the next moot...

 

[Mooseman1]

wouldnt mind watching this doco, sounds interesting.