1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the all New Toyota Corolla. Welcome 2 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: to Stuff you Should Know front House, Stuff Works dot Com. Hey, 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark and there's 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: Charles W Chuck Bryant, and this is stuff you should 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,240 Speaker 1: know because Jerry's over there. Dame, are you doing, buddy? 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: Besides sick, I'm not sick. I'm just I've got a 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 1: little bit of a bug. But never well, no, do 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: you think that's the first step in Yeah, and being 9 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: sick is saying I'm sick. I definitely believe in psycho 10 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: semitic effects. Yea, you know the mine has an impact 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: on the body. Well, if you can be a hypochondria, 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: actually you can do the officer right, Yeah, yeah, you 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: can will yourself in not being sick. Anyway, people, the 14 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: show must go on. And I just want to point 15 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: out how dedicated my partner here is to his craft. Well, 16 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: I also want to say I want to promise that 17 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: it's not going to be like the great six weeks 18 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: on this of No. You know gets that was back 19 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,479 Speaker 1: in the old days, the unhealthy days. I smoked and everything. Yeah, 20 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: your body didn't know how to heal, so it was 21 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: enjoying nicotine. Now I'm just like I'm I'm not getting sick. 22 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: I said it to myself last night, and here I 23 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: am better than you ever Josh two point oh, thank you. 24 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: All right, let's do this okay, ready, Yeah, I got 25 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: a story for you. I bet I know it. I'll 26 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: bet you. Yeah. Yeah. You saw. His name is Everett 27 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: Knowles Jr. But everybody called him Eddie two days in 28 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: a why I find the unwholesome. Yeah, And I didn't 29 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: know Eddie could be short forever it never heard that. 30 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: I don't think it is. I think he just didn't 31 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: like his name, Okay, because it seems like you should 32 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 1: call him every Yeah, heavy heavy Evie. Yeah, of the Biggie, 33 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: the big So he was a little e though he's 34 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: a little guy, tiny, like a little Elvis. That's right. Uh, well, Eddie, 35 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: we'll call him Eddie because that's what he preferred to 36 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: be called. Sure. He was walking home from school one 37 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: day in Somerville, Massachusetts, which is a suburb of Boston, 38 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: and he was walking along the railroad tracks and there 39 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: just happened to be a train loaded with gravel hauling 40 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,839 Speaker 1: out of the area very slowly while he was walking 41 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: alongside and said, you know what, I'm just gonna have 42 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: a little thrill right now and grab onto this train. 43 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: And he did. He successfully grabbed onto the train, was 44 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: hanging with I believe his right arm. Yeah, and uh 45 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: was having the time of his life just dangling there 46 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: when he misjudged the distance between the train side of 47 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: the train and the side of a tunnel and he 48 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: was pulled into the tunnel support and smacked it and 49 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: hung on for a second before he was dropped off 50 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: of the train. The train kept going through the tunnel, 51 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: leaving Eddie kind of crumpled and in a little shivering 52 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: mass at the mouth of the tunnel. So he stands 53 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: up and he grabs his arm. He's like, oh, my 54 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: arm doesn't feel very good. And he starts walking toward town. 55 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: And apparently he walked about a hundred yards uphill when 56 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 1: some workers saw him and said, grab that kid, because 57 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: he was covered in blood, he was staggering, he looked 58 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: like he was out of he's clearly in shocks, and 59 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: they grabbed it, ran and got a woman. Because at 60 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: the time, this is nineteen sixty two, a woman was 61 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: the only one who could provide any kind of initial 62 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: emergency care um and a clerk at I believe some 63 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: sort of warehouse um came out and started to apply 64 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: pressure to this boy's wounds. But she had a little 65 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: bit of trouble when she tried to close the wound 66 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: with a tourniquet, she found that his arm wasn't attached 67 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: to his body any longer, and he's just kind of 68 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: holding it there. Very Luckily he was wearing a jacket, 69 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: or else his arm would have been back at the 70 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: mouth of the tunnel. Man. Can you imagine, like the 71 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: guy's holding his arm basically to keep it from falling 72 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: out of his jacket, although he didn't know that, you know, no, 73 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: he didn't. He was in shock. Luckily, he was still 74 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: lucid enough to like tell everybody who he was, where 75 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: he lived, and uh. They called the the hospital, and 76 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: the hospital scrambled some surgeons. But it wasn't until chuck 77 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: um he got to the hospital and they started cutting 78 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: his jacket off that they realized the extent of the damage. 79 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,799 Speaker 1: This kid's arm was torn clean off. But the operative 80 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: word is clean, yeah, right. Because Eddie Everett Noels Jr. 81 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: Of Somerville, mass On what May two became the first 82 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: recipient of a full successful limb reattachments, first human recipient. Yeah, 83 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: it's a good point. They had done that before dogs successfully, 84 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: and they had they had done all the different surgeries 85 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: that are required to reattach a limb, but they had 86 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: never done all of them at once, like they'd reattach 87 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 1: the nerves, they'd reattach bone, they've reattached blood vessels, but 88 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: they had never had a full amputation and a human 89 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:12,039 Speaker 1: being successfully reattached. And um. From what I read, the 90 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: doctor was I don't know about excited, but they had 91 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: been looking for a case. I was because they thought, like, 92 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: I think we can do this. We just need the 93 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: right case right exactly, you know. And he called his 94 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: buddy and he's like, I think we got one. Getting there, 95 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: they got the They like you said, they'd successfully reattached 96 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:30,599 Speaker 1: artery's nerves, bone, that kind of thing, but never all, 97 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: never the whole shebang. So they said, well, we know 98 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: how to do this if somebody will just come along 99 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: and present us with an arm pulled cleanly off, especially 100 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: twelve year old, because that definitely worked at his advantage. Apparently, 101 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: an artery when severed will plug itself up, especially in 102 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 1: younger kids that plugging is way more successful and happens 103 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: more quickly. So this kid just basically presented like the 104 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: perfect case. The main artery, I guess his brachial artery 105 00:05:57,760 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: leading out of his shoulder was a full like two 106 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: inches out of the wounds. So like they had a 107 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: lot to work with, and work they did. Uh. Yeah, 108 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: and they the arm was on ice and they began 109 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: working immediately. This is mass general, by the way, and um. 110 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: They started with the arteries and veins, and then the 111 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: nurse felt well, they all sort of sold color and 112 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: they described as a glow kind of came back into 113 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: the arm. This kid hopped the train, had his arm 114 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: pulled up, and within two and a half hours they 115 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: had gotten circulation back. Yeah. And the nurse scrabbed the 116 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: hand and said, hey, it's warm. That's good thinking warm. 117 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: She shook it, made it do the metal sign. Everybody 118 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: in the operating theories laughing. Uh. The bone and the 119 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: muscle and the nerve and the skin. Um happened in 120 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: in later surgeries, and the I think the nerve. They 121 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: made a pretty important decision at the time was to 122 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: wait on that altogether, uh, and let it heal some 123 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: more first, which is as it turns out, actually, as 124 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: it turns out, most of this was sort of how 125 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: they do it today, Like they perfected the process from 126 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: that point through the seventies and in the eighties is 127 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: when they really started like humming with limb reattachment. The 128 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: only difference that I saw was and we'll get into 129 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: it a little more, but um. They reattached the arteries 130 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: first to get circulation, I guess, to keep from more 131 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: and more tissue dying. Um. And then they reattached the 132 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: bone by driving a screw and using a hammer. They 133 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: nailed the screw into the marrow, and then reattached the 134 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: arm bone. What is that femur? Now? Femurs in the leg? 135 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: You think I would have looked this up already. Yeah, 136 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: the upper arm bone. Then they drove that into the 137 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: other end of the screw. Normally now though they do 138 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: they retach the bone for supervide stability, so when you 139 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: reattach the arteries and veins and stuff, they won't pull away. Yeah, 140 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: and he uh, it was a success story because he 141 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: ended up he was uh, he couldn't use that hand 142 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: as his dominant hand any longer, which just said because 143 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: he was a good picture. Yeah, but he um was 144 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: able to eventually get enough use out of it to where, 145 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: uh they said about like a left hander would have 146 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: use of his right hand. So he just sort of 147 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: had to switch that up. But for nineteen two that's 148 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: pretty successful, especially considering in nineteen sixty was the very 149 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: first microsurgery performed just two years previously at the University 150 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: of Vermont. Oh yeah, go catamounts. But um, so microsurgery, 151 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,199 Speaker 1: that's really what we're talking about here. It's the use 152 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: of a microscope to perform surgery. And when you're attaching, 153 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: you're essentially sewing together little nerves and blood vessels like 154 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,439 Speaker 1: a millimeter in diameter. You need a microscope and a tiny, 155 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: tiny little needle, right, and you're using tiny, tiny little 156 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: sutra thread, which is about is is is big as 157 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: a hair. That's the stuff you're using to to suiture 158 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,559 Speaker 1: these blood vessels back together. It's not no and it's 159 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: an extremely involved um surgery, as you can imagine, but 160 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,200 Speaker 1: it's step by step. It's like, first you do the 161 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: blood vessels, then you do the arteries um and you 162 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: do muscles, ligaments, tendons, all this stuff, and you're doing 163 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: it in this this process, but each each surgery, each 164 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: part of the procedure is like an enormous surgery in 165 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: and of itself. So like um, a limbery attachment, which 166 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: is called um replantation. I thought it was gonna be 167 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: called like limbery or something. Some people call it that. 168 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: I'm a limist, the saucy. Your doctors call it limbery. 169 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: But um, it usually is like as on a whole. 170 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,640 Speaker 1: The replantation surgery can last like an entire day. Yeah, 171 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: it's it's intensive. Um And I read too that it 172 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: uh the whole micro surgery. The concept of using a 173 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,319 Speaker 1: microscope for surgery was not accepted at first, Like the 174 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: doctors and surgeons were like, now, like you, we can't 175 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,439 Speaker 1: do that. We have to look with our eyes. And 176 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: so it had to be perfected sort of on the 177 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: fringe by doctor by surgeons who are willing to like 178 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: accept this might be the future and experiment in their basements. 179 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: I guess so on hapless victim maybe or dogs. Yeah, 180 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: I didn't get the and I didn't look it up, 181 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: but I didn't get the impression from this article one 182 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: way or the other how dogs lost their limbs to 183 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: begin with, Like, was it accidental? And they're like, Okay, 184 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 1: well this we'll reattach it. Or were they cutting dogs 185 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: limbs off and then reattaching them, because I'm guessing it 186 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: was probably the latter in it. Probably Yeah, I mean 187 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: we've talked plenty about that kind of topic, because I mean, 188 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: think about it. Why would dogs limbs be pulled off 189 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: in any more frequency than humans limbs and hence present 190 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: more cases to practice on. I think they were cutting 191 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: off dogs limbs and then reattaching, which is messed up. Yeah, 192 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 1: it is. So you were talking about microsurgery. What I 193 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: saw was replacing toes for thumbs got big sixties. That 194 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: was a big one. So you had a thumb on 195 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: your foot or a big toe on your hands, big 196 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: toe on your hand, because apparently fifty to sevent of 197 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: all the utility in your hand is in your thumb, 198 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: and if you're missing a thumb, you might as well 199 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: just not have your hand. You don't need a big 200 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: toe quite as much. You can use a cane or 201 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: something like that thanks to your new toe thumb and 202 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 1: um that that became perfected in the sixties toethumb. That's 203 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: a good band name. And then uh in the seventies, 204 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: um free flat tissue transfer became a big thing, which 205 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: is basically going to a part of your body, harvesting 206 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: an area of your body like under your thigh, your 207 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: abdomen um I think you're back, lower back, and then 208 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: just basically taking the gap and sewing it back together. Right. Yeah, 209 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: so you have a scar, but you also have a 210 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: portion of your body that's diminished in size um, and 211 00:12:06,679 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: then taking that and using it to basically do what 212 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: we understand is a skin graft, which which requires microsurgery 213 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: as well. Um, it's just basically taking this part here 214 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 1: and putting it back over here where there's a bunch 215 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 1: of damage and reattaching all of the nerves and the 216 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: blood vessels and everything. Yeah, I saw when I was 217 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: looking up photos of this kind of thing, I came 218 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: across something that I had never seen before. And I 219 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: didn't I didn't get the story, but you could almost. 220 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 1: I mean I sort of gathered what was going on 221 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: just from the photo series. But someone was degloved on 222 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: the on their fingers basically from like the hand knuckles forward, 223 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:51,440 Speaker 1: all the fingers had no skin, and they, from the 224 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: looks of it, they inserted it into an arm like 225 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: into a bicep the fingers and like they live there 226 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: for a while, like inserted under the skin of the arm, 227 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: and that that skin. They later would remove the fingers 228 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: and it came off as like a big flat skin 229 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: graph like sticking your hand in an envelope and uh, 230 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: eventually formed like webbed fingers and then fingers. That is crazy, 231 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: but like, I don't know, man, I just saw these photos. 232 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: I should have done. I mean, it doesn't really have 233 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: anything do with this, but it was just remarkable. They 234 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: see someone with their fingers stuck in their bicep under 235 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 1: the skin. Like, I'm having trouble visualizing this. I need 236 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: to see these photos. Yeah, I'll take about the show 237 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: out to you. Yeah, if you want to see some 238 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: really gross stuff, you can just google. Um. Microsurgery or 239 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: replantation is another one. Yeah. Man, it's but amazing like 240 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: that they can. And I looked at so many of them. 241 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: I kind of got to that point where I was like, well, 242 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: this isn't gross. This is what the body looks like 243 00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: without skin sometimes, and which is gross. Nuts. I wouldn't 244 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: grossed out bodies without skin or gross, I don't think so. 245 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:09,199 Speaker 1: I think it's the beauty inside you couldn't desensitize my friend. Well, 246 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: before we get any further, Chuck, let's do a message break, 247 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: because I got some good stuff coming up. So Chuck, 248 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 1: we understand microsearcherry. Now it's frankensteiny in right. Yeah, you're 249 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: basically just sewing stuff together. Yeah, because I mean, like, 250 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: let's say you have a dead person who has a 251 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: great hand, and you have a live person who's got 252 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 1: a poor hand. You cut off the live person's hand, 253 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: cut off the dead person's hand and attached the live 254 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: or the dead person's hand and a live person. That's 255 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: that's Frankenstein and that's what they're doing. And it's pretty cool. Um, 256 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: But if this ever happens to you, if if say, 257 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: you have a poor hand in that it's no longer 258 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: attached to your wrist, han sucks, right, and it's all 259 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: crushed and damaged or whatever. No, no, no, let's say 260 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: it's intact. And you say, you know what, I think 261 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: through my shock that I might be a good candidate 262 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: for replantation of my hand. Yeah, what do you do? Well, 263 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: you want to call mine one one immediately, because that's 264 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: just the first thing you do. You get go ahead 265 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: and get folks on the way, or you can ask 266 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: someone with you to call nine one one. That's not 267 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: putting anyone out. Yeah, that's true. If you can't dial, 268 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: maybe you don't have hands, you can tell Sirie to 269 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: call nine one one. Yeah. I actually changed my series 270 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: to a dude, so it's not a her anymore, but 271 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: an englishman actually. Yeah, it's kind of fun, Reginald. I 272 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: don't know what his name is actually, but he'll say 273 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: stuff like, you know, I'll say call Josh and we'll 274 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: say ringing Josh. Oh yeah, instead of calling it. It's 275 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: classy kind of fun anyway. Um, you want to dial 276 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: mine one one, get them on the way, and then 277 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: immediately you want to just try and stabilize the patient. 278 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: You want to stop the bleeding, either with heavy pressure 279 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: or a tourniquet above the wound like a sixties female. 280 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: Yeah exactly. Uh. And once you get the patient, UM, 281 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: stabilize and they're not going to bleed out there in 282 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: the kitchen or wherever it is. Um, you want to 283 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: get the digit or the hand or the limb and 284 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: put it on ice, but not directly on ice. Put 285 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: it in a bag and then put that bag on ice. Yeah, 286 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: you want to pack pack it in ice, as much 287 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: ice as you can find, but you want to make 288 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: sure that in the bag that you put the hand 289 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: or the digit or whatever in there's no ice and 290 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: there's no water, because water causes it to shrivel, and 291 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: that means you won't be able to reattach it. Yeah, 292 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: and ice you can actually if I put if I 293 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: cut off my finger and I threw it in a 294 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: bucket of ice, it could actually get frostbite. Yeah, that's crazy, 295 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: That is crazy, but it's also pretty cool. And you 296 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: don't want frostbite on your because you know you won't 297 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: be able to use it anymore. Now. Frostbite is just 298 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 1: um dead tissue brought about by exposure to extreme cold. 299 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: That's right. So after the T shirt right there is 300 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: after you've got it on the ice, in the bag, 301 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: on the ice, you've call nine one one, you've got 302 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: the bleeding stopped. You want to cross whatever fingers you 303 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,160 Speaker 1: have remaining and hope that you've got a good hospital 304 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: nearby with some surgeons that aren't doing much at the moment, 305 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 1: or who are willing to cancel their schedules and say 306 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: let's go do this. Yeah, get off the golf course. 307 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,640 Speaker 1: So when you get to the hospital, there's some things 308 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: you can expect. If all of your surgeons have come 309 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: in from the golf course, they should be ready and 310 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: waiting for you. And um, like we said, first they're 311 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: going to reattach the bone to provide stability um for 312 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: the rest of the surgery. And there's probably still going 313 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: to be a little bit of a gap there because 314 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:39,840 Speaker 1: they need to get in there. Um. And then they 315 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: start reattaching your your blood vessels. And just like with 316 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: Eddie Knowles, um, that just gets you know, the blood 317 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: flow going and essentially makes that limb alive once more well, 318 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: and it also keeps it from further dying. Um, because Chuck, 319 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: it turns out that like there is a a finite 320 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: amount of time, which is understandable, but we we are 321 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: aware of how much time a limb can just sit 322 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: around in the hot sun starting to go you know, 323 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: fit it. And there's so for example, um, if you 324 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 1: have a whole arm or a whole leg cut off, 325 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: remember death Proof, Yeah, that girl has her legs like 326 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: sticking out of the window and mad Mike is that 327 00:18:24,359 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: his name Russell when he hits him and her legs 328 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: goes Um, if she had survived and her leg just 329 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: laid there out at room temperature, Um, it could have 330 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:40,120 Speaker 1: been good for six to twelve hours. I imagine you're 331 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: really pushing it at twelve hours. But if say you 332 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 1: have somebody who's like this leg needs to be put 333 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: on ice and does everything right, it could stay refrigerated 334 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 1: for four days and still be reattached. Yeah. Um. They 335 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: point out though in this article, ideally you're having that 336 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:01,479 Speaker 1: surgery that day, but if you within hours, uh, within minutes, 337 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: they're talking. Ideally, Basically, the sooner the better. It's as 338 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 1: soon as they're ready to go, you should be ready 339 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: to go as well. But you're right, Um, if that 340 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: is not the case and you have uh some good 341 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,120 Speaker 1: refrigeration going on, you can last for about four days. Yeah. 342 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: And apparently it's not even necessarily the skin tissue that 343 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 1: um that leads to problems and reattachment after being exposed 344 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: or room temperature. It's muscle degradation. Oh yeah, interesting. Uh, 345 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: So you you get there, you're getting your surgery done. Um, 346 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: you probably are going to expect to go through that 347 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: first long surgery phone reattachment, blood vessel, maybe some muscle 348 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: fiber and then sure, and then they'll say we'll put 349 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: the nerves off for later. Um, and then later on 350 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: down the road will be a skin graft of some kind, 351 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: like a UM free flap surgery like I was talking about. 352 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: And the free uh refers to the the free like 353 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: this part of this issue from your body has been 354 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: removed the donor site. Oh, it's not the cost of 355 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:08,800 Speaker 1: the surgery, it's it's been cut free, right, And then 356 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,359 Speaker 1: you have makes sense and then um, it really is 357 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: simpler than you think. It's reattaching, and hopefully everything takes 358 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: and you fight the infection off and you start the 359 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: rehab process, which um, it takes a long time, and 360 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: it's it's grueling and not fun. Uh. It can be 361 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 1: weird at first, uh, they point out in the article, 362 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 1: And be weird to look down and see your army attached. 363 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:35,880 Speaker 1: But I imagine no weirder than looking down and seeing 364 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: your arm not attached. You know, it'd probably be a 365 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: comfort to see it reattached, But you're a jerk if 366 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,160 Speaker 1: you're like, oh, it's kind of crooked. Yeah, but apparently 367 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,439 Speaker 1: sometimes it can feel a little different, and uh, that 368 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: can be a little strange and off putting. It's not like, oh, 369 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: I'm just like I was before, right, you know, better 370 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: than ever? Um and Tom wrote this one my good 371 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: friend time chief. He said. He also talked about something 372 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: called cross transfer. This was mind blowing, which is basically 373 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:11,879 Speaker 1: like if if just re plantation is Frankensteinian, this is 374 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: even more so. Yeah, I didn't quite get the purpose 375 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,720 Speaker 1: of the hand. Uh, Basically, you're getting a a left 376 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: hand on your right arm. Let's say, so your thumb 377 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,640 Speaker 1: and your pinkie would be in weird places, right, your 378 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: palms still facing the right direction, but switched. Yeah, yeah, 379 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: but what's what's the point of that if you have 380 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: a bad hand and a good hand. I don't know 381 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: if that's they only had like a left hand available 382 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 1: at the time. I don't know that one. I got 383 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 1: the other one where basically they take your lower leg 384 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 1: beneath your knee. So like if your upper leg is 385 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:50,479 Speaker 1: damaged and your lower leg is fine, let's just say 386 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: your upper leg is wasted for whatever reason, but your 387 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 1: lower leg is fine. They'll cut it off the lower 388 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: leg and basically turn it around right, and then your 389 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:05,440 Speaker 1: knee becomes locked. Your calf muscles then serve the function 390 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: that your thigh muscles used to and your knee joint 391 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: is now in your ankle, then you also are going 392 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: to be wearing a prosthetic obviously because you have no 393 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: thime muscles um, and you're turned around foot which is 394 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 1: now backwards. Is extra support for that prosthetic foot or 395 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: leg or limb? Wow, it's pretty cool. It's basically saying like, 396 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,040 Speaker 1: how can we take this and use it to even 397 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: better utility now that its original purpose has been destroyed? Yeah, 398 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 1: it's pretty cool. Yeah. I tried to find photos of 399 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: a cross transferred hand, but I couldn't find any photos, 400 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: and weirdly, pictures of Madonna kept popping up. Does she 401 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:48,120 Speaker 1: have something? I don't know, dude, Like I tried all 402 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:51,400 Speaker 1: sorts of Google searches and she images of work kept 403 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: popping up, So I don't know. Maybe she's got two 404 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: left feet or something. She does not? What was that 405 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: in uh Waiting for Guffman? Uh? He literally had two 406 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,200 Speaker 1: left feet. It's kind of a dumb joke, wasn't I 407 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: thought it was? Yeah, So, Josh, that's one way we 408 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,160 Speaker 1: talked about microsurgery. But there's perhaps another even better way 409 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: which will cover right after this message break. All right, 410 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: so we've discussed how you can have surgery, but there 411 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,679 Speaker 1: may be an actual way to regrow things. Yeah, this 412 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 1: is far, by far the more prefable of the two. Yeah, 413 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:36,040 Speaker 1: like fingers, but not like you know, you can't lose 414 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: a whole finger and regrow. It's got to be above 415 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,359 Speaker 1: the bone. Like let's say you get the tip of 416 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: your finger, like your fingernail cut off and you can't 417 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 1: find it. And even better, this just involves like dumping 418 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 1: a magic powder on that that wound. So if you 419 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: if you have your finger cut off below the nail, 420 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: right below the nail, which happened to a guy in Cincinnati, 421 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: um in two thousand and five who owned a hobby op. Yeah. 422 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 1: I used to love those places. Man, I go in 423 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: and be like, I just want all the model airplanes 424 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: and everything. Yeah, Eddie's Trick Shop in Atlanta was my 425 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: go to, which I've just discovered still exists, um, not 426 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: too far from my house. Is it a magic shop? 427 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: It's it's like everything, Like they had models and had 428 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: magic kits, they had you know, Whoopie cushions was sort 429 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: of like a catch all. Yeah. I liked both of those, 430 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: but I never went to one that was the same anyway. Um, 431 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 1: this guy, this hobby shop owner, as far as we know, 432 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 1: he sold no magic items. Um, he was demonstrating why 433 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 1: a motor was very dangerous in an RC plane. He 434 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: did a good job, I guess, and cut his finger 435 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: off and uh, apparently his brother was had something to 436 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: do with finger with tissue regeneration and said he was 437 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 1: in the biz. Yeah. The guy went to the doctor 438 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: the hospital, and doctors like, we'll give you a skin 439 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: graft to just kind of cover this weirdness. But um, 440 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,159 Speaker 1: you know, you lost your finger. T s. And the 441 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: guy's brother was like, don't get the skin grap just yet. 442 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,439 Speaker 1: Come over, I'll give you a beer, and um, I'm 443 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: gonna put some I'm gonna put some something that's called 444 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: extracellular matrix on your wound and let's see what happens. 445 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: And they did yea, and magic happened. Then it regrew. 446 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: The guy not only regrew his finger, he regrew apparently 447 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: not the bone, but very surprisingly the nail bed and fingernail, 448 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 1: which apparently, like you don't grow a nail bed back, 449 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: like even if you cut off just the tip of 450 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: your finger like that nail beds never growing back. This 451 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 1: guy's nail bed grow back. That's awesome. Extracellular matrix is awesome. Um. 452 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 1: That's basically like the glue that holds ourselves together. And um, 453 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: not just us, plants and animals and trees and they 454 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,920 Speaker 1: all have it uh in it. Uh, it's functions outside 455 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: the body cells. That's why it's called extra cellular obviously. 456 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 1: And it's collagen. We talked a lot about collagen, the 457 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: protein that's um, you know, super good for all kinds 458 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: of things, especially Yeah, like you know it's in skin 459 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:15,679 Speaker 1: cream and stuff like that. Um. So typically what they 460 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: use is, uh, this was a powder from pig bladder. 461 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: But um, I've seen I saw a video on the 462 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: New York Times site that showed how they do it today. 463 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: And this is mainly for um like, uh, let's say 464 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: you got you didn't want a skin graft for some reason, 465 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 1: or it wasn't possible to get a skin graft, and 466 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: you've you've lost all the skin on your thigh. It 467 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 1: would get a pig bladder and they they spread it 468 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 1: out and they remove all the cells. Basically, Yeah, because 469 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: this stuff doesn't have pig cells, No, it doesn't have 470 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,400 Speaker 1: just harvested from a pig body. Yeah, but they still 471 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: remove the cells and all the DNA with like a 472 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: chemical bath, and basically what's remaining is the matrix. And 473 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 1: it ended up drying it out and it looks like 474 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:00,600 Speaker 1: and cut it into she and it looks like a 475 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,160 Speaker 1: sheet of like parchment paper and then they will put 476 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: that on your leg and it immediately just starts going 477 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 1: to work. Yeah. They used to think that extracellular matrix 478 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: was just something that provided structure for cells to grow around, 479 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,679 Speaker 1: like a fetal in the fetus. Yeah, because if you're 480 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: if you're in the fetus and like something happens, you 481 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:23,960 Speaker 1: lose a toe. If you are a fetus, if you're 482 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: in the fetal position, uh, in the womb and you 483 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 1: lose a toe, that toes growing back. Yeah, you know, 484 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: you grow a vestigial tail that goes away. Your feet 485 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 1: and hands start out being web so you're growing a 486 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: lot of stuff and then getting rid of it. But 487 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,159 Speaker 1: you can also regrows stuff that you're not supposed to 488 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: lose up to the age of about two, and then 489 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: I think the general ideas that the extra cebular matrix 490 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 1: just kind of goes dormant in humans, right, but they 491 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: thought that it was just structure, and then they realize 492 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: that no, this is actually creating some sort of signal 493 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 1: to the rest of the body to say, hey, don't 494 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: scar regrow instead, and it goes and recruits stem cells 495 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,840 Speaker 1: and says, come over here, and let's rebuild this finger. 496 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 1: This hobby shop accident was too ironic. Let's reward this 497 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: man with a regrum finger, and don't forget the nail bed. 498 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: That's what ex cell your matrix says to everything else. Yeah, 499 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 1: and it's uh, it's pretty cool. The problem with um, 500 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,719 Speaker 1: why you can't normally just regrow a finger is because 501 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,120 Speaker 1: when something like that happens, the trauma happens, your body 502 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 1: says it recognizes it, and the immune system kicks in 503 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: and it's gonna swell up and get inflamed and scar 504 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: tissue is gonna start to form, and extra cellular matrix 505 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: prevents the inflammation, prevents scar tissue from forming and basically 506 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: tells the body like, no, I'm just gonna grow like 507 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: normally r scar tissue, just regular old cells. But like 508 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: you said, after a certain age, it just goes away, 509 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 1: like we have the extra cellular matrix still, but it's 510 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: function or its ability to trigger regrowth is just becomes 511 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: dormant or something happens to it. And with this pick 512 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 1: ladder stuff, um, they're they're starting to wonder, is there 513 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: a way that we can just trigger this naturally in 514 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: the body. And if that's the case, then say hello 515 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,280 Speaker 1: to regrowing a whole head. I mean, you never know, 516 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: because they pointed out that like deer can regrow antlers 517 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 1: and um, things like that, and they're so different than 518 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 1: us sellar cellularly right because as bone, cartilage, skin, um, 519 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,800 Speaker 1: all those things are in your hand, your arm, your leg, 520 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: and you would need to regrow all those two for 521 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: something to really be considered regrown. You can't just regrow 522 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: the leg but not the bone. It'd still be impressive, 523 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:54,280 Speaker 1: but you're like, it's kind of flopped in there. Have 524 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 1: you ever seen the picture that UFC fighter. He's like 525 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: kicking the guy and he breaks his own leg and 526 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: it's just like almost like a cartoon or mcgahey, Oh yeah, 527 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: well it's mcgahey. Yeah. Yeah, that's stuff. Um triggers the 528 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:14,239 Speaker 1: old mirror neurons big time. Makes me weak. Uh So 529 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,240 Speaker 1: that's basically it. I mean, they they've been experimenting with 530 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,800 Speaker 1: war veterans, Iraqi war veterans. Uh. And actually the New 531 00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: York Times video, I saw that it was a war 532 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 1: veteran who was having this done to his thigh. Yeah right, 533 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,760 Speaker 1: I think it was skin and tendons and yeah, and 534 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,840 Speaker 1: it was you know, it looked at an early but 535 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: it was functioning and that counts. You got anything else? No, 536 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: I think that's it. There's literally nothing else to say 537 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: about I agree, sir. All right. Uh well, then if 538 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: you want to learn more about replantation, you can type 539 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 1: that word into the search bar how stuff works dot 540 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 1: com and it'll bring up a couple of cool things 541 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: at the very least. Also, um, type in extracellular matrix, 542 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: which is pretty cool founding um, and that'll bring up 543 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: another article too. And uh, since I said those things, 544 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 1: it's time for listener. Now, that's right, I'm gonna call 545 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: this correction. You get these from time to time. We 546 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: like to read him from time to time. Hey, guys 547 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: and Jerry love the work you do. I love listening 548 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:21,360 Speaker 1: to the show. I wanted to write in though, with 549 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: a correction regarding Lewis and Clark. I'm working towards my 550 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: PhD in art history, and i am particularly interested in 551 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: the history of medicine and disease. On the middle of 552 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 1: the show, Josh mentioned that the adventure party inadvertently discovered 553 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: syphilis had not been known to Europeans upen to that point. 554 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: This is actually not quite the case. Syphilis goes back 555 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 1: pretty far in European history. It was first documented in 556 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: the late fifteenth century after a conflict between France and Italy, 557 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 1: and remained an issue for europe peaking around the mid 558 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:57,479 Speaker 1: nineteenth century. Nineteenth century. That yeah, he said, okay, Josh 559 00:31:57,480 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 1: did have part of it right though when he said 560 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: that the part do you blamed it on Native American groups? 561 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: Early on everyone wanted to blame the disease on everyone else. 562 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: No surprises here, But after that initial conflict, the French 563 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: referred to syphilis as the Neapolitan sickness, while the Italians 564 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:17,080 Speaker 1: named it the French sickness, a trend that continued as 565 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 1: the stuff spread. You if you're interested, it's really fascinating stuff, 566 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:27,480 Speaker 1: especially the cures that became popular. Mercury was a really 567 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: nasty one. History of Syphilis by Claude Katel is a 568 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,320 Speaker 1: pretty good reference. He read a book called The History 569 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: of Syphilis somebody wrote a book called the History of Syphilis. Anyway, 570 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: just wanted and that was claude q u e accent 571 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: of good t e l. He's French. Isn't that what 572 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:52,040 Speaker 1: that's called? I don't remember anymore. I don't either. Anybody 573 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: just wanted to work out. Yeah, that is from Catherine. 574 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Kathleen Pierce nice into disease. Thanks in paintings 575 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 1: about disease. I guess so thanks a lot for letting 576 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,680 Speaker 1: us know that, Kathleen. I feel like I've been set straight. Uh. 577 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 1: If you want to set us straight, we like to 578 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: be corrected, right, Yeah, and nothing better. Uh. All you 579 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:23,080 Speaker 1: have to do is tweet to us to initiate contact. 580 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: You can tweet to us using our handle s y 581 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: s K podcast. You can go onto Facebook. That's another 582 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: great way to contact us. Yeah, you can complain there. Uh. 583 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 1: We people love doing that. We're at Facebook dot com 584 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: slash stuff you should know. You can send us an 585 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,240 Speaker 1: email to stuff podcast to Discovery dot com. And although 586 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: you can't complain, uh, you can enjoy our website Stuff 587 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: you Shouldn't dot com for more on this and thousands 588 00:33:53,720 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 1: of other topics. Is it how stuff works? Dot Com 589 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: m with over a hundred thousand titles to choose from. 590 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,280 Speaker 1: Audible dot com as a leading provider of downloadable digital 591 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 1: audio books and spoken word entertainment. Go to audible podcast 592 00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:15,560 Speaker 1: dot com slash no Stuff, k n o w S 593 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 1: t u f F to get a free audio book 594 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:19,880 Speaker 1: download of your choice when you sign up today.