Last nights finds :smile:

[1859large]

It was said to be done when a surgical procedure was done, like amputation, so the patient could focus on biting down on the bullet and not thrash around and screaming making the job harder on the surgeon and attendant.

Those bitten bullets might just mark the site where a field station was set up to give aid to the soldiers and are a grim relic of the pain and suffering that was inflicted there. (and besides those bunny teeth look a little light to chomp on metal and as far as gaps in the teeth, no orthodonics then, if you wanted a nice set of teeth you bought them and they where often made of wood!)

My 2 cents or one large UK penny.

HH

1859

 

[ihuntrelics!]

n/t

 

[Nemo]

Actually I believe the saying "bite the bullet" comes from when powder and bullet were placed in the same paper cartridge. To bite the bullet meant that the bullet was separated from the powder by biting on the paper cartridge and poured into the barrel followed by placing the wet bullet on the barrel and rammed home.

Here is a picture of either an 1842 or 1848 Austrian long rifle or carbine bullet with teeth marks. Interestingly, in this paper cartridge the bullet was packed upside down (bullet nose down) so teeth marks are near point.

HH

Nemo

 

[ihuntrelics!]

I managed to dig up a few of my chewed bullets but am still trying to locate a few more of them. I know some of these are probably chewed on by animals but figured I'd post them anyway as I went through all the trouble of diggin' them out of boxes and displays. I will start with them first then I'l post some that I believe could be human.

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[ihuntrelics!]

These are several views of the same lead at different angles.

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[1859large]

From what I googled the thought is that they might have been used by soldiers undergoing surgery, without pain control! Most of the amputations back then where done in minutes, you can see a pause in the one bullet and then a steady bite again. Ouch! It might have been a leg or an arm.

The modern meaning is to do something despite the pain, in whatever meaning - physical or emotional.

It is worth googling "bite the bullet" and read some of the results.

S