Mortal Wound
Encyclopedia
A mortal wound is a very severe and serious injury
(almost always a form of penetration
or laceration) whether accidental or inflicted intentionally (by either suicide
or homicide
), which leads directly to the death
of the victim. Death need not be instantaneous, but follows soon after. If proper medical treatment is provided immediately, the victim has a chance of survival, at which point the wound retroactively becomes non-mortal. However, even with prompt medical intervention, there is still a strong likelihood that the victim will not survive.
Conversely a scratch could turn deadly if it becomes infected, especially under adverse circumstances. These include poor wound care, an elderly, diabetic or immune-compromised patient or a virulent or antibiotic
resistant pathogen. However, unless the scratch was self-evidently and indisputably the cause of death, even after the fact it would be unusual to refer to it as a 'mortal wound'.
Severe contusion leading to death is more commonly described as a fatal or mortal blow, which is also more widely used when one or both of the injury
or death
are metaphor
ical. While mortal wound is only strictly inappropriate when discussing a literal death not related to any penetrating or lacerating injury (by poison
, for instance), it is simply uncommon in relation to failure or defeat. It would be equally appropriate and essentially synonymous to call the Great Depression
a mortal blow or a mortal wound to Herbert Hoover
's presidency and public career, although the former is more typical.
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
(almost always a form of penetration
Penetration
Penetration may refer to:* Penetration depth of light or any electromagnetic radiation.* Penetrating trauma* Sexual penetration, a term which may mean**sexual intercourse in general or,...
or laceration) whether accidental or inflicted intentionally (by either suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
or homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
), which leads directly to the death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of the victim. Death need not be instantaneous, but follows soon after. If proper medical treatment is provided immediately, the victim has a chance of survival, at which point the wound retroactively becomes non-mortal. However, even with prompt medical intervention, there is still a strong likelihood that the victim will not survive.
Conversely a scratch could turn deadly if it becomes infected, especially under adverse circumstances. These include poor wound care, an elderly, diabetic or immune-compromised patient or a virulent or antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
resistant pathogen. However, unless the scratch was self-evidently and indisputably the cause of death, even after the fact it would be unusual to refer to it as a 'mortal wound'.
Severe contusion leading to death is more commonly described as a fatal or mortal blow, which is also more widely used when one or both of the injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
or death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
are metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ical. While mortal wound is only strictly inappropriate when discussing a literal death not related to any penetrating or lacerating injury (by poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
, for instance), it is simply uncommon in relation to failure or defeat. It would be equally appropriate and essentially synonymous to call the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
a mortal blow or a mortal wound to Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
's presidency and public career, although the former is more typical.
See also
- Terminal illnessTerminal illnessTerminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...