The drawcloth; also known as a cleansing bandage, is used to draw poisons and infections from wounds, but is no substitute for proper treatment of such injuries.

Manufacturer: Iron Company

Years Produced: YE 42-YE43

Current Users: Iron Company

It is an unfortunate reality of warfare, nay life for those in Vahalla toiling under the yoke of whatever lord or government they serve is harsh. The rod and lash are both applied equally, to produce whatever is needed to ensure their nation's primacy, and to that end, there are times when resources are simply withheld from those they see as 'unimportant'-the peasants can be replaced if sickness sweeps through a town, new blood can be brought up for armies in the field if a unit ends up getting pasted.

Infection, poison and disease are commonplace, particularly on worlds with more Feudalistic societies. This has led to the practice of Herbal Medicines-the use of natural ingredients in an attempt to cure or at least lessen the suffering of those so affected. As such the cleansing bandage, or Drawcloth is one of the results of these practices. The Company, after a particularly vicious battle had a number of troops succumb to wound infections-this for them was nothing new; as unfortunately field hospitals can be overwhelmed by excessive casualties. However the rate of infection was far, far higher than what was to be normally expected.

After conducting inspections of captured enemy equipment, to which of the men complained of a “fetid, rank odor” emanating from the weapons. It was later found after raid that the foe they were fighting had taken to poisoning their weapons by letting the weapons and the tips of ammunition rest in a combination of offal and human waste¹⁾to ensure that even the most minor of injuries could very well be fatal. Seeking a solution, and after consulting with and allowing local healers to assess their men, they proscribed a poultice made from local plants to help draw out the infection.

While not a perfect solution, it did help increase the survival odds of the soldiers. It was decided given the results that a compress bandage would start being issued made from highly absorbent cloth and treated with a salve designed to draw poison and infection from wounds.

The bandage is a simple thing of linen and cotton, treat with a salve made from whatever locally available plants that are used to draw out infection from abscessed wounds or poison from injuries. To use the bandage, you remove it from the packaging and bind it tightly around the affected area. The salve then serves to draw the pus or poison out from the wound, and it is absorbed by the bandage-it is recommended that a mixture of activated carbon and sulfonamide or sulfa powder also be applied in tandem to help prevent infection, to keep it from worsening and help neutralize any poisons in the wound. It also recommended that the bandage be changed every hour and a half to two hours if possible.

The bandage comes in a sealed plastic bag with a wax paper lining-it is usually a long, white cloth though the color may tinted by the poultice in question, approximately seven feet in length and about half a foot in diameter. The cloth, not counting package weighs approximately 1 kilo, and when packaged is fairly dense. The package is 4 inches thick, 5 inches long and wide. It is usually kept in an armored aid kit worn by Company personnel.

Commissar Farzi created this article on 2022/10/29 19:39.

🚧 This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.