Threadscore is not a burn as we think of one. There will be no blistering or 'bubbling' of the skin. Instead, the organism acts like an acid, eating its way through clothing, flesh, and even bone. A threadscore will appear as if the flesh were simply 'melted' away, leaving open blood vessels that ooze or gush blood depending on their size and location. The would itself will be shallow or deep, depending on the severity of the scoring and how quickly the dragon betweened. This scroll covers treatment for human threadscore, as treating the dragon half of the bond is in the realm of dragonhealers.

When a healer is present with a Threadscored rider, the first thing to assess is the severity of the injuries. Minor and major threadscores are treated a bit differently, and the condition of the rider's dragon lifemate affects the treatment as well. All healers should remember to wash their hands in redwort and to rinse all tools such as needles in redwort before use, even in an emergency situation like Threadfall can turn into. When healers need to perform stitchwork, they should rinse their hands in redwort before touching numbweed, and reapply as needed. Otherwise their hands will go numb and they will not be able to perform their work.

Minor Threadscore

Use redwort to flush the threadscore of any remaining debris. If the rider can tolerate the pain, avoid applying any additional herbal preparations to the wound, as the wound will heal faster if exposed completely to air. If the pain is a problem, rinse the wound well with water to remove all traces of redwort, which will negate the effects of numbweed. Apply numbweed sparingly, being very careful not to get the salve on the uninjured skin, as it can blister the skin. The healer can swab redwort carefully on the uninjured skin to provide a barrier if necessary before applying the numbweed. Two drops of fellis in a cupful of wine can be administered for pain, and the patient should be given a mosstea and meadowsweet tea to drink for a sevenday. The mosstea will help prevent infection, the meadowsweet will act as a mild painkiller. The patient should be instructed to watch for signs of infection and return to the Infirmary if needed. Once the wound is 'pinked' or healed over, oil of hyssop can be applied to lessen scarring.

Major Threadscore

Depending on location, major threadscores are life-threatening, but the threat is generally from blood loss in the first moments after scoring. A healer should act quickly, dosing the rider with five drops of fellis in a cupful of wine to render the rider unconscious. Major arterties must be stitched back together, and this is not always successful. If the threadscore is on an extremity, amputation may be necessary to save the rider's life. Numbweed should be applied to the wound liberally before beginning work. To stop bleeding, apply fresh yarrow leaves or tincture of witchhazel, but this measure is only for minor bleeding. Once bleeding is stopped, the wound should be covered in a poultice of yarrow and mosstea to prevent infection and begin the healing process. The poultice should be changed often, and discontinued to allow the wound to air as the healer determines. The wound should be left uncovered as much as possible to speed healing. Once the initial treatment is over, the patient can be treated with a lighter dose of fellis or adonis if a senior healer determines the need. The patient should be taken off fellis as soon as possible and switched to a meadowsweet and mosstea mixture that will help combat infection. Comfrey tea should be drunk once a day for a sevenday after injury to assist in healing and help combat infection as well. Once the wound is 'pinked' or healed over, oil of hyssop can be applied to lessen scarring.

Fatal Threadscores

Threadscore that covers large amounts of the body and severe scores to the face, throat, and abdominal areas are almost always fatal, and the healer should consult his or her superior to determine whether or not a mercy draught is the best option. In the cases where a rider has lost his or her dragon, but is not fatally injured as well, healers are not involved in the choice to suicide, and under no circumstances should provide the means to do so.

Infected Threadscore

Infection is indicated by reddened, inflamed flesh and possibly yellowish pus around the wound. The site may itch severely. If pus is present, a cornsilk poultice will draw the pus from the wound. Any infected wound should be treated with mosstea poultices, as they do not have the scarring side effects of comfrey. The poultice should be applied once a day until all signs of infection are gone. The patient should be instructed to drink a tea of comfrey and thymus to fight off the infection and strengthen the immune system.

Returning to Fighting Wings

The length of time a rider needs to spend recuperating obviously depends on the wound involved. Some scores require only bandaging to pad the wound so the rider can fly the next Threadfall. Others, depending on location and severity, can require months of recovery. Those that affect the joints (shoulder, elbow, knee, hip) cause the longest recovery times, as well as those that score deeply and injure muscle. A rider's return to his or her wing is at the discretion of the healer and the Wingleader.


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