MovieChat Forums > Taegukgi hwinallimyeo (2004) Discussion > Goof with the maggots?

Goof with the maggots?

posted 17 years ago by bluegrassdude5601
3 replies | jump to latest

You guys remember that one scene where the soldier who got shot and stepped on the mine had maggots in his wounds? Well, I just checked out an article on maggot therapy on wikipedia and I found this:

"During World War I, Dr. William S. Baer, an orthopedic surgeon, recognized on the battlefield the efficacy of maggot colonization for healing wounds. He observed one soldier left for several days on the battlefield who had sustained compound fractures of the femur and large flesh wounds of the abdomen and scrotum. When the soldier arrived at the hospital, he had no signs of fever despite the serious nature of his injuries and his prolonged exposure to the elements without food or water. When his clothes were removed, it was seen that "thousands and thousands of maggots filled the entire wounded area." To Dr. Baer's surprise, when these maggots were removed "there was practically no bare bone to be seen and the internal structure of the wounded bone as well as the surrounding parts was entirely covered with most beautiful pink tissue that one could imagine." This case took place at a time when the death rate for compound fractures of the femur was about 75-80%."

It sounds similar (to a minor degree) to the situation of said Korea soldier and it just has me wondering. Is it possible that the soldier's symptoms (vomiting, fever, etc) wouldn't have actually been happening in real life?

[–] chrisnp 17 years ago

I had the same thought when I saw the movie. Maggots have been used to treat and clean wounds for centuries. Apparently the little buggers eat away both dead tissue and bacteria. In a situation where no antibiotics were available, maggots might actually have an overall benefit to the patient.

[–] surround_sound 17 years ago

there could have been other symptoms that he was experiencing. I think the point is "look! maggots are eating his flesh. the situation is bad."

[–] micktherraad 15 years ago

Precisely. If You will recall, the abdominal wound resulted in the gut being outside of the body. You could see portions of his intestines when they had him on the table. It did not appear as if they treated him with any sort of antibiotic (the injection appeared to be a pain killer to quiet him down).

With the unsanitary conditions in the field and in the "hospital," the anaerobic environment of the abdomenal cavity would be a breeding ground of bacteria. The maggots would clean the superficial flesh, but deep inside there would be necrosis & septicemia.