Saul's "Illness"

**lectio** · Mar 5th, 2011, 10:17 AM

The fire would have been enough to sterilize the hammer, I think (and to provide enough heat to cauterize the wound).

**yarri** · Mar 5th, 2011, 10:32 AM

If it were red hot which I think it was. Then you end up with infection from the burn itself. That wound was not cleaned well and they used kitchen gloves and other things to protect themselves from the blood. I don't remember if they were clean gloves. So nasty. ewww.

**manintrees** · Mar 5th, 2011, 01:33 PM

From the description of the procedure that Saul underwent, he is at a massive risk of infection. A blood infection will kill you. Even in modern hospitals, blood infections are very scary. The Tower residents did the best they could with what tools and knowledge they had but Saul is in big trouble. Cauterizing done the way they did is going to leave Saul in bad shape. It may have stopped the bleeding but OMG is he going to pay for it via scarring and other damage. Like Yarri said, the burn could become infected incredibly easily.

Remember that scene in Saving Private Ryan when the medic (Wade) got hit with machine gun fire? They were constantly dumping Sulfa Powder on him in an effort to minimize the chance of infection.

**yarri** · Mar 5th, 2011, 05:14 PM

I kept yelling at my IPod.. Use the booze on his arm not his face! Anything to flush the site. It would have hurt like heck but not much more then cutting on him like they did or burning. I am hoping he has some range of motion left if he survives the infection.

:: yes I freely admit I talk to the story. I get that into it.

**MrScott101** · Mar 16th, 2011, 10:23 PM

Going back a few pages someone mentioned the possibility of the vaccinations that Saul may have received when in various special forces ops, that and in thinking the "The Big Z" is a highly mutated very strong virus (quite a bit by today standards) considering how fast acting it is. The situation of the bullet heat disinfecting the blood that it had going through Tommy before Saul would have merely weakened it enough to be slowed down. Thereby giving Saul's white blood cells a chance in conjunction with his vaccines to in a sense create a cure or immunity to "The Big Z".

Yep lots o fancy werds there, but you get what I mean. The big thing is you can't consider the Z virus a normal virus just because of how fast acting it is.

**yarri** · Mar 17th, 2011, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by MrScott101

Going back a few pages someone mentioned the possibility of the vaccinations that Saul may have received when in various special forces ops, that and in thinking the "The Big Z" is a highly mutated very strong virus (quite a bit by today standards) considering how fast acting it is. The situation of the bullet heat disinfecting the blood that it had going through Tommy before Saul would have merely weakened it enough to be slowed down. Thereby giving Saul's white blood cells a chance in conjunction with his vaccines to in a sense create a cure or immunity to "The Big Z".

Yep lots o fancy werds there, but you get what I mean. The big thing is you can't consider the Z virus a normal virus just because of how fast acting it is.

I think the fastest acting virus in the world would be either Ebola or the Hauta virus. Ebola can get you in 2 to 21 days(got that from the CDC)

freshly fired shell casings of semi auto weapons are hot enough to melt plastic. I would figure the lead that passed though Tommy was hotter. Enough so to destroy the blood on it I would think.
I think its highly unlikely that Saul's illness is a response to a challenge to his immune system from big Z more a possibility of a brutal primitive surgery in grossly unclean circumstances and Saul going septic. (it still messes with my mind listening to that part of the pod cast heheh)

Vaccines are designed for specific types of virus. (lordy stick with me here I am pulling stuff out of my brain from nursing school and that was a long time ago) Lets look at the flu virus for example. We get a new one every year keyed for specific strains. one strain = one vaccine. multiple vaccines that are given in the military (I had an ass load of them ) are keyed for specific things. The Big Z is so different that the possible Tommy blood on the bullet and the vaccines are probably not going to trigger an immune response in Saul making him a walking vaccine for the others.

Side note: Vaccines are also subject to how a person responds to them. Example: me. You know as a child you get the MMR (measles mumps and rubella) vaccine? Well this vaccine is repeated for a number of reasons. 1. you have not had it. You don't titer to it ( titer means active number markers in your blood stating your body will fight if it is challenged with the virus) I have had this vaccine series done six times. I don't respond to the virus at all. We don't know how Saul responded to his vaccines.

Another note: MrScott you have stimulated my brain I thank you! Here is a question to you... with all the different Zombies could there be different strains of the virus???

**VeritableHero** · Mar 17th, 2011, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by yarri

I think the fastest acting virus in the world... (snip)

Good lord, these are some nice insights on which to think. Added "rep" for that post. Multiple strains of the virus would make sense given the wide variety of zombie types that are present in the We're Alive world.

**Hollomandious** · Mar 17th, 2011, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by manintrees

My feeling is that Burt didn't miss, and the bullet went through Tommy and into Saul. Saul is somehow immune to the effects of the virus but is now a carrier (remember the wife from 28 Weeks Later?). Saul came may have also come into contact with Big Z fluids when he stabbed that one in the garage and didn't leave his knife behind when Micheal asked him to.

What if, Saul is partly immune. Maybe in a similar way to Ink. Where Ink, is evil crazy homicidal and such, maybe Saul becomes the super good zombie.

eh?

**yarri** · Mar 17th, 2011, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Hollomandious

What if, Saul is partly immune. Maybe in a similar way to Ink. Where Ink, is evil crazy homicidal and such, maybe Saul becomes the super good zombie.

eh?

He would have turned in the garage. It only took poor Tommy a scratch a little open sore and a drop of zombie blood