Machete Wounds

How is it that one tool can keep us doctors so busy? Perhaps because every Honduran and their dog owns a machete or two or three and never leaves home without it. They carry their trusty machete everywhere...walking down the road, working in the fields (obviously), riding on a bicycle, hopping in the back of a truck, under their pillow at night... I admit it is an incredibly useful tool. It is used mainly in the fields for working with crops, but also comes in handy for gathering firewood, cutting grass, cutting rope or string, chopping the head off a snake, cutting up meat or veggies (the all-round super-size cooking knife), self defense weapon...and the list goes on. Since Hondurans carry this tool with them and leave them lying about their homes, I spend several hours per week sewing up machete wounds. Most of them are accidents. The kid tripped over the machete lying about in the kitchen. A man mistook his leg for the plant he was cutting down. The five people riding on one bicycle fell over and someone landed on their machete. However, other docs have seen some very serious wounds inflicted during drunken brawls where machete wielding is common. All this to say that the "Honduran household tool" is causing a steady improvement in my suturing skills. Good thing I like to sew!