The Other Shoe

Then there is the part no one will talk about.

If Itō Icchō had been shot in New York City, he might still be alive today.

Or in Paris. Or in Baghdad, for Amaterasu's sake.

According to accounts, he died of blood loss and heart failure. Heart failure because of blood loss would probably be more accurate.

Blood loss!

What the hell were the ambulance people doing, turning him on his back so he could drain like bucket with a hole in the bottom of it? And where were the fluid IVs, plasma bags and wound-staunching compresses?

There is a flip side to living in a country where there is almost no assault with weapons or former members of the military with combat wound experience in medical practice--emergency response to traumatic weapons-related injuries may not be too skillful.

Oh, why do I even bother to use the conditional? If rescue workers and doctors have zero experience with these kinds of injuries, the patient under their care is just is not going to make it.

It's a tradeoff, I guess.