Simple Yet Gory Research Questions

[J.D. Rhoades]

Okay, you're a kidnapper. To show how serious you are, you've lopped off the kidnapee's little finger at the first knuckle. You've also taken cell-phone pictures of other people who could be victims as well if the target doesn't come across.

(1) What first aid do you render so that kidnapee doesn't bleed out?

(2) Can you transmit cell phone pics to the target's cell phone and carry on a conversation at the same time?

[Damien Gay]

Bloody hell, there's a lot to take into consideration just to earn a dishonest buck!

(1) A tight bandage should stem the blood flow, perhaps tying off the finger with the kidnapee's shoelace should be effective.

(2) I'd have to call my 11 year old daughter in to advise me on how to use my cell phone. Of course, before she gives me her advice I'd have to help her overcome the hysterics from all that blood.

[Sean Lindsay]

1) Salt. Under a band-aid. I've only tried it a couple times, though.

2) All the cool kids are on Flickr. Cell to cell leaves a data trail.

[Stuart MacBride]

Lopping off a finger isn't enough to make someone bleed out. A hand: maybe, a finger: no. But a tourniquet around the finger will cut down on the mess - elastic bands are good. And if you're prepared to lop off a finger, you probably won't care if the remaining stump goes necrotic.

It's never bothered me, anyway.

[Bill Cameron]

If you are gonna use a cell phone, you definitely want to use one of those pre-paid ones. Pay with cash at an out of the way store.

But at this point, you can't send pics and talk simultaneously. Cell phones are modal, so when you're text or picture messaging, you're in one mode, and when you're talking you're in another. The best you could do is send the pics and then immediately make a call. Of course, in the next few months, the technology will change again and you'll be able to send pics, talking, and toast a cheese sandwich with your phone all at the same time.

As for the finger, prepare by tightly rubberbanding the finger first. This gives you a chance to be sadistic about it. For added sadism and convenience, cauterize the wound with a car cigarette lighter. Then, just to show you're not such a bad guy, put some neosporin in the bandage. Wouldn't want them to get infected, after all.

[norby]

Stuart's right-bleeding out really won't be a problem. It's infection you have to worry about. Make sure you have some antibiotics around, wouldn't hurt to have the victim take some just in case, you also want to keep the wound clean, best idea would be putting some alcohol around the edges of the wound as a precaution-with all the antibiotic resistant bacteria around, you don't want to defeat your own purpose.

[Karyn J. Powers]

Okay, if you're going to cut off a finger, how much concern will you have about infection? Is it a short term kidnapping like spending money for the weekend (see Iraq, Iran, Mexico) or is it a long term kidnapping where you will be dragging the kidnapee around the country for months or even a year like in "Proof of Life?" I say do it at the barber shop and stick the cut end in some stiptic shavings. Dog groomers keep that stuff around too, for stopping the bleeding when they cut too close to the quick.

As for the cell phone. Why not post the pics on a secure site and send the url to the ransom payer(s) in a text message from a phone with a disabled GPS? or You could hide the pics in plain sight on some kind of a fake ad for tracking down long lost friends using high school pics on the net.

[J.D. Rhoades]

Okay, a little more detail...the person receiving the pictures is on the move. the kidnapper is trying to draw that person in, not collect a ransom.

[Stephen Blackmoore]

Then you don't really need to worry about the bleeding out / sepsis problem. Losing a finger won't kill you unless it's from shock, and that's rare. Most people don't have quite that bad a reaction to being wounded.

One thing about prepaid phones, they don't usually have cameras. Sending the pic from a computer would work, if he has access to one. And if he's actually trying to be found, the whole prepaid thing doesn't really matter much. And then, he could be using the phone of the person he's kidnapped, too.

[Sunnie Gill]

I spose if you were callous enough to cut of a finger without anasthetic you could cauterise the room with a red hot poker or something.

No idea on the cell phone thing.

[Angie]

Well, Bill's right about the pre-paid deal. That's definitely the way to go. Though, a convenience store that gets a lot of business would be better than an out of the way one - more traffic, less likely to draw suspicion. Probably sending the pic first and then placing the call is the way to go, though it can be tricky. I know I've had pics sent to me via cell phone that didn't arrive until way after they had been sent. But hey, it's fiction, right? You can have it work out however you want!