The Incredible Story of Melvin and the Scissors

06-02-24 00 / episode: 374

The Incredible Story of Melvin (He Survived!) Scissors are Dangerous! Regardless of the age, you should always be careful when you have scissors. Melvin learned this the hard way. You can learn from Melvin’s experience, too. Hi and welcome to the Les Perras podcast episode number 374. This episode is about a young boy named Melvin Jones, and safety with scissors.

An Innocent Afternoon

One afternoon in 1925, Melvin Jones was having fun playing with his sister and brother. They were in their kitchen and their mother was preparing dinner. They were thinking of things to do. They decided to make paper dolls. Melvin got some scissors and his brother and sister got the paper. Then they decided to go upstairs because it was cleaner than the kitchen.

Going Upstairs

However, as they were going upstairs, Melvin stumbled on the stairs. Melvin was quite surprised when the scissors punctured his side. Obviously, they didn't think much of it right away. He did not have any obvious complaints of acute pain.

Sleepy

They washed the wound, and then Melvin said he felt sleepy. He had barely finished saying that he felt sleepy when his lips turned blue and his face darkened. This was an ominous sign. His parents immediately called for an ambulance and Melvin was taken to the children's hospital.

The X-ray

At the hospital, they rushed him into the x-ray room and they did an x-ray. The x-ray examination disclosed a puncture of the heart. This was clearly a drastic downturn of condition. The doctor stepped in and pronounced the need for surgery.

Surgery

In the surgery room, the doctor needed to get access to the heart, and it was necessary to force the ribs back to gain access. The doctor used forceps to lift up the heart and discovered a gash a quarter of an inch long. The doctor stitched two stitches in the heart and placed it back into its natural position. Then he put the ribs back into place. Meanwhile outside the operating room Melvin’s father was having blood taken. The purpose was to give a transfusion to Melvin.

The Doctor

The surgery was a success. Melvin was on his road to recovery in no time at all. The doctor was somewhat reluctant to take credit for his performance in the operating room. It's reported that he didn't say very much about the event at all other than it was unusual.

The moral of the story

We all know that Sharp objects are dangerous. At the same time we often take unnecessary risks in our daily lives. Mothers tend to warn us to be careful but it's difficult to believe that anything bad will happen to us. Melvin’s Story is an acute reminder that accidents can happen, and some of them are very serious. Such ordinary objects can be a lethal threat to us. Please exercise caution when you're walking around with scissors and certainly don't run with them. Our mothers tell us all sorts of stories, but in this case, running around with scissors IS dangerous, and we should listen to our mothers. On the other hand, if you would like to listen to not too serious stories, about what mothers tell us you can listen to the podcast about old wives tales.