Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2022 November 16

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November 16

Tetanus shot

Jo had a tetanus shot in her butt. They usually give them in someone's arm, not their butt. By the way, Jo's height was 5 ft 6 in (165 cm) and weighed 88 lbs (40 kg). And, she was supposed to get a tetanus shot because she had a cat scratch. Rabies? Yes. But tetanus, I've never heard of. And it wasn't rabies, because, from what I've heard, it's 5 needles on the stomach. She got 1 needle on the butt. Why is that? 67.215.28.226 (talk) 18:21, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Did you ask her doctor? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:43, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Tetanus is caused by a bacterium called Clostridium tetani that is very commonly found all over the world. Although tetanus is popularly thought of as being found on rusty metal, that's not the case; it's pretty nearly universally found. So any scratch or cut could be the cause of an infection and a tetanus infection is no fun at all. Cat scratches are excellent ways of transmitting diseases (see Cat-scratch disease), probably because they tend to be deep but not bleed very much. So updating your tetanus booster when you get scratched is common. Matt Deres (talk) 18:53, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Then why did she get the needle in her butt, not her arm? 67.215.28.226 (talk) 18:57, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Why do you expect other people to look up this information for you? You have the answers two clicks and a bit of reading away. One click got me to Tetanus (which @Matt Deres kindly provided a link for you above where I learned that "mild cases of tetanus can be treated with Tetanus immunoglobulin (TIG), also called tetanus antibodies or tetanus antitoxin. It can be given as intravenous therapy or by intramuscular injection." A second click on the link at the end of that sentence took me to an article whose second paragraph informed me that "Common sites for intramuscular injections include the deltoid muscle of the upper arm and the gluteal muscle of the buttock." Further down the article, I read that "Injections into the deltoid site in the arm can result in unintentional damage to the radial and axillary nerves." Bazza (talk) 19:13, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Okay. I thought it might be because she was so small. Thanks anyway! :) 67.215.28.226 (talk) 19:16, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

When I had a number of injections at around 6 years old (because my family was moving from the UK to Hong Kong), they caused a slightly scarred area on my upper left arm. I was told at the time that girls and women were often given the option of having injections in the posterior because female fashions often expose the upper arm, where such a scar might be unsightly, but on the buttocks it would be less-often seen. Males were presumed not to care about having a slight arm-scar. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.217.47.60 (talk) 20:55, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

So updating your tetanus booster when you get scratched is common

Recent studies have questioned the booster recommendation for most adults, arguing that lifelong immunity may be achieved with childhood vaccinations. However, this research is not conclusive and the CDC continues to adhere to the ten year booster recommendation. Viriditas (talk) 21:22, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Why Labocania is an abelisaur

Considering that kritosaurini saurolophines and panoplosaurini nodosaurs have been found in South America, logically abelisaurs would have ventured into North America as well. CuddleKing1993 (talk) 21:49, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

What's your question? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:32, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

My question is how it can't be an abelisaur when the evidence is staring right in our faces. CuddleKing1993 (talk) 23:36, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

When Labocania lived, in the late Cretaceous, North America was not connected to South America. The isthmus of Panama formed only about 3 million years ago. CodeTalker (talk) 00:22, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

But the Allen Formation has saurolophine hadrosaurs and panoplosaurini nodosaurs so that arguement is invalid. CuddleKing1993 (talk) 01:00, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Taxonomic classification of fossil finds is based on characteristics of the fossils, such as body structures and their apparent functions. The location of the finds may offer supporting evidence, but can never be the basis. It is not clear what the question is. What specific and concrete evidence is there for which specific classification?  --Lambiam 09:18, 17 November 2022 (UTC)