by Kris@WLP » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:34 pm
OK, more explanation is needed, then.
In the Mutations thread I mentioned that corrective surgery for birth defects generally doesn't work with lycanthropes. That's because the regeneration factor has the defect as a part of what it's trying to regenerate. Eventually surgeries that correct cleft palate, esophageal fistulas, etc. will be undone by regeneration- and "eventually" can potentially mean "before breakfast the day after the surgery." Even if all silver is used, over weeks or months the damage will slowly reappear.
That said, for surgeries to repair actual injuries regeneration is a bonus. The main inconvenience is that the entry incision will continually try to seal itself. For that you need the silver scalpel. If the procedure is being done in a hospital, is known publicly, and is done with the involvement of humans, then all the tools will need to be silver (except the sponges). The main reason for this is that the lycanthrope will need to be seen to heal at the normal human rate. He -could- heal much faster, if things were done a bit differently, but it would look highly suspicious.
For surgeries done in secret- and for emergencies such as the removal of silver bullets- it's better to go back to steel after you're in, keep things separated as much as possible, and work fast. You can take shortcuts which would be out-and-out malpractice with humans, because although lycanthropes -can- get infections, it's very rare. You can leave gauze, sponges, and even non-silver instruments inside, and they'll be absorbed or expelled in the course of time.
(There's one surgery which absolutely has to be done in secret- appendectomies. Lycanthropes CAN get an infected appendix- in fact it happens quite often, what with the hyper-efficient immune response dumping its "garbage" there. Lycanthrope surgeons set speed records for grabbing the appendix, because they CAN'T use silver for the entry incision; you don't want some future doctor wondering why in the hell someone has four or five appendix scars. Y'see, the appendix keeps coming BACK...)
Oh, one other note: any person who has dental problems is probably NOT a werewolf. It's kind of hard to get tooth decay when you essentially grow an entirely new set from scratch each and every time you change forms...