Why is it so dangerous to step on a rusty nail? - Louise Thwaites

Explore how a toxin-producing bacterium causes tetanus, and how to identify its common symptoms and best prevention practices.

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In the 5th century, a ship master was suffering from a nasty infection that caused his jaws to press together, his teeth to lock up, and the muscles in his neck and spine to spasm. Today we know this account to be one the first recorded cases of tetanus. So, what causes this peculiar infection? Louise Thwaites explores how tetanus affects our bodies, and how we can prevent it.

Lesson by Louise Thwaites, directed by Andrew Foerster, Rewfoe.

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[MrBelles]

Tetanus is so frickin scary that 10 days after you get scratched by a nail your body locks and suffocates, and this stuff just lies around in soil and leaves and refuses to die.

[sewalimbu]

As an ICU nurse, I have seen patients suffer with it without any guarantee of good prognosis. Such painful way of dying.

[OmniversalInsect]

Reason number to be grateful for modern science and medicine.

[Song-bcue]

Canadian nurse here. I'm so thankful that people can just walk in to our ER to ask for a tetanus shot. I can't imagine the anxiety of those who have to play their chances because a tetanus shot is too expensive.

[perrybrown]

Around 50 years ago, my father was watering the grass in his bare feet a day or so after spreading fertilizer (yuck). He had an ingrown toenail...
A few days later he was complaining that it was difficult to eat - it was like his mouth wouldn't open far enough.
He went to the doctor who offered some platitude and sent him home.
The next day it was worse and he went to a different doctor who also didn't know what was going on, but sent him to a specialist next door - who couldn't accept a booking for a couple of weeks.
My dad (barely) walked to the specialist and explained to the receptionist that he wouldn't be alive in a couple of weeks and needed to see somebody RIGHT NOW.
The specialist scratched around and eventually said that he thought dad had tetenus. He sent dad directly to the hospital ER (which was also next door).
By the evening, dad was in ICU on life support!
Everything escalated so quickly - but for another hour or so we would have lost him.
(He's still stubborn and going strong today 😊)

[shubhangichandanshive]

Amazing. Just 2 hours ago today took a tetanus injection after getting injured by old scooty stand and now TED ed uploaded .

[knsvjgh]

that's exactly what I did as a kid. I was playing around in the barn (The horse was a "friend" so I knew I was safe in there with him) and I went to go back into the house, and my right foot felt something but I wasn't sure what it was until I felt the blood leaving my foot. Screamed for my mom for what seemed like an eternity. I got a tetanus shot to the rump for my trouble.

[myrqxzx]

I am a radiographer and one of my unforgettable patients was a four-year-old girl who had meningitis after stepping on a nail. It was heart-breaking. I still pray for her.

[EdinoRemerido]

Me looking at the multiple scrach wonds on my body:

[MeenakshiJha_]

The eye roll at 4:25 was everything needed to end the video

[anferneeearlpelones]

We've really come a long way in treating once-deadly illnesses that were extremely difficult to deal with centuries ago, now treating them by administering antitoxins to affected individuals. Just goes to show how far we've come in advancements in many different fields, especially in medicine

[Maybachdemon]

4:22 tetanus was the least of his worries

[Arthur]

Tetanus and rabies are the most terrifying diseases to me and I am so thankful they are so easily preventable nowadays.

[MuhlisErtugrul]

Just finished watching Kurzgesagt's video about fever and now I'm here.

[sujees_networkah]

10 years before I lost my father because of tetanus... Really people should aware of these...

[danecraze]

The fact that I just got hit by a rusty cable then this got notified is crazy

[suniljadaun]

MY brother had tetanus, when He was like 9 - 10 . this was so painful to him and to us to watch. But He got well. He is now all healthy.

[ashutoshk]

I have been warning people of Tetanus from the last 10 years after I knew about the painful muscles spasms and bone bendings.
This video will help a lot, thanks❤.

[uranium]

I should add here that back when I got bitten by a dog doctors also administered the anti tetanus vaccine to me as well as antibiotics.

It came to me as a big surprise that tetanus also lives inside a dog's mouth!

[TheSpaceflightGuy]

2:05 Imagine suffering on the ground and your friends come over looking like that