"[Glorfindel] searched the wound on Frodo's shoulder with his fingers, and his face grew graver, as if what he learned disquieted him. But Frodo felt the chill lessen in his side and arm; a little warmth crept down from his shoulder to his hand, and the pain grew easier."Important Dos and Don'ts
- DO touch wounds with your fingers! No need to futz around with gloves, hot water, soap, or the like.
- DON'T touch the hilt of the knife that made the wound any more than absolutely necessary -- "handle it as little as you may!"
- DON'T worry if you've literally just handled the knife hilt before touching the wound, though. That's perfectly fine.
P.S. Compare with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. At the urgings of a concerned beta reader, Lewis threw in at least five reminders for readers not to shut themselves up in wardrobes.* Tolkien seems to have recklessly embraced a somewhat darwinian approach to medicine for his more impressionable readers.
FN* Here are the hits that came up in a quick search. Note that the good and wise characters (Peter and Lucy) are careful not to shut themselves in, while the selfish, weak-willed Edmund forgets.
- "[Lucy] immediately stepped into the wardrobe [...] leaving the door open, of course, because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe."
- "(She had, of course, left the door open, for she knew that it is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe.)"
- "[T]here was nothing for it but to jump into the wardrobe and hold the door closed behind her. She did not shut it properly because she knew that it is very silly to shut oneself into a wardrobe, even if it is not a magic one."
- "Peter held the door closed but did not shut it; for, of course, he remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never never shut yourself up in a wardrobe."
- "[Edmund] jumped in and shut the door, forgetting what a very foolish thing this is to do."
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