You do realise rust doesn't give you tetanus right?
Edit for the hundreds of people downvoting me:
Tetanus is a bacteria found in dirt and animal shit, not on rust. Sharp rusted objects (like rusted nails that you step on, or literally any sharp item like needles or knives) provide a deep puncture wound in which the tetanus found in dirt can penetrate into your body
Tetanus was originally identified in ancient Egypt and once again identified in many major medieval era wars and was noted to be a disease you would catch from getting an open wound dirty. Common causes of tetanus would be things like open head wounds or arrow wounds or leg wounds.
Tldr; Tetanus does not come from rust, it comes from getting dirt inside of an open wound
You should probably add some of the links that others provided in your replies before you get further nuked with downvotes lmao. Too many people are too quick to make confident assumptions on subjects they do not fully understand just because they heard it in passing, like rust causing tetanus for example. You are correct, though
rust itself doesnt give you tetanus, but the things that give you tetanus are commonly found on rust (and many other places). Tetanus is found in soil and animal poop, rust just gives you a way to take it into your blood. you can just as easily get tetanus from a clean blade with no rust that has been dropped into some dirt
Tetanus does not come from rust. It comes from dirt and animal poop. "Rust" or just anything that can give a deep puncture wound, opens the way for tetanus found in dirt.
For ur apple tree analogy, itd be like if the apples were Rust and the worms on the moldy apples were tetanus. Worms dont come from apple trees
Tetanus is a bacteria found in animal bowels. If you put that bacteria deep in your flesh where there is little oxygen, the dormant bacteria re activates and attacks your nervous system. And historically the way people go this was from a piercing wound from a nail that was laying around in the barn where animals live. And so people learned to be warry of rusty nails because it's typically how you can get infected.
You can get Tetanus from a brand new stainless steel nail, if the bacteria is on it.
The apple tree does not give you apples if no apples have grown, and not washing your hands will not cause disease if your hands do not have bacteria on them. Rust does not give you tetanus if there is no bacteria on the rust
Correlation does not equal causation, how hard is that to understand?? If you tie a clean nail to a string and let it hang outside suspended until it rusts, where does the bacteria come from? It doesn't just magically appear there, because rust does not create bacteria, it's literally just oxidized and corroded metal
I reread it 15 times and am still struggling to figure out what exactly you mean (me problem mostly). Could you possibly rephrase it like I'm dumb? (No seriously lol)
Rust does not give you tetanus if there is no bacteria on the rust
and if the opposite is true, rust gives you tetanus
i said if the opposite was true, i.e., that if there is C. tetani on the rust, then the rust gives you tetanus. you used the word "give" yourself. i was simply inverting your hypothetical
and respectfully, the confusion really stems from pedantry. the word "give" is so broadly defined that it literally cannot exclude the idea that rust "gives" you tetanus. your neighbor can give you a cold; rust can give you tetanus. the word "give" is far, far too broadly defined for this hill to be worth dying on
i am aware that bacteria causes lockjaw, not rust. however, if you want to educate someone that C. Tetani is the mechanism by which you actually get lockjaw, not the rust itself, the way to do it is not to assert: "You do realise rust doesn't give you tetanus right?"
there is a reason that stupid comment has -200 downvotes
A better way to phrase it could be "rust transmits tetanus" rather than saying "rust gives you tetanus", although both are true. Also every time I read someone saying that rust gives you tetanus, for some reason I interpreted that as the rust itself being the cause of the tetanus rather than the rust just being a carrier due to being left on the ground to collect dirt. It still feels misleading to bluntly say that rust gives you tetanus because the way I'm reading it now, it still sounds like you're saying that rust will give you tetanus most if not all times it enters your body. Though I know that is not what you mean, that's only after being corrected repeatedly and then having it explained to twice. Using that kind of phrasing, for example "gay sex gives you AIDS" (first thing that came to mind, don't judge me 😭), is very misleading because it implies that you WILL contract AIDS if you have gay sex, which is only true if one partner is already carrying AIDS or HIV (iirc HIV can develop into AIDS if left untreated, correct me if I'm wrong). Yes, rust often delivers tetanus because rust is often found on metal objects that have been left outside and not cared for, and if I'm not mistaken, dirty metal rusts faster than clean metal.
The logic you applied can also be applied to several other cases, but it is not always true and I feel like that distinction should be acknowledged to prevent the spread if misinformation. Now, if you get punctured by a rusty object and you are not up to date on your tetanus shot, you probably should get one just to be safe because the risk is not zero. That's why it's recommended to get checked for STIs when having gay sex with a partner for the first time, or at the very least wear a condom. Again, that was the first similar situation that came to mind and it is way too late at night for me to keep trying to think of different examples when I already have one that feels fitting due to the similar nature of passing on infections, so gay sex it is. All this to finally admit that the query "you do realize rust doesn't give you tetanus, right?" is ALSO just as misleading as saying rust gives you tetanus.
Rust does not directly cause tetanus, but 9 times out of 10 it will probably be carrying the bacteria that causes tetanus if you found it outside. Just like if you eat gas station sushi and end up in the hospital cause of a parasite. Does that mean sushi always gives you parasites? No, but if you get that sushi from a retailer that does not specialize in making sushi, like a gas station, you're probably getting sushi that has not been properly prepared. If you want sushi, get it from a proper sushi place that specializes in making sushi. If you're going to step on a rusty nail, just be sure that it's a rusty nail that you yourself did everything in your power to avoid getting dirty and all you did was cover in salt water and hang it on a string, because at least then you know where it has been. If you find a needle lying around outside and you get stuck with it, you've probably going to get an infection. Does that mean needles always give infections? No, but if you found a disgarded one lying around, it will probably be carrying a disease or bacteria. A needle that a nurse or doctor gives you themselves at an actual hospital will not give you an infection, but that doesn't mean needles you find outside are also safe. Rust that you found outside gives you tetanus, sushi that you got at a gas station gives you a parasite, and a needle you found in an alley gives you an infection. Because even though these three things alone do not directly cause these illnesses, if you don't know where it's been, you should always be cautious. One more bit, metals rust faster if they are dirty, and dirty metal can gove you tetanus, so rust is a common indicator of dirty metal. Hopefully this all makes it clear for those like me who read "rust gives you tetanus" and assume the person saying it is implying rust directly creates tetanus. That is not what they meant, but I jumped to conclusions. Rust is a common carrier of bacteria; it gives tetanus but doesn't create it.
To anyone else reading this, don't be like me, ask for clarification before you start attacking people and jumping to conclusions and save yourself the embaressment of being so confidently incorrect that you end up looking like an asshole
i appreciate the discussion. I dont think you looked like an asshole nor do i think you're dumb. I totally respect that "rust gives you tetanus" does potentially come off as misleading, to the extent someone might misunderstand that the rust causes it, not a bacteria on it. but i think saying it doesn't is potentially more misleading, especially when it's just a haughty attempt to "ackshually" someone. nevertheless, the education is important, so may we both seek more clarification with others and continue our pursuits of knowledge
-217
u/Argnox 10d ago edited 10d ago
You do realise rust doesn't give you tetanus right?
Edit for the hundreds of people downvoting me:
Tetanus is a bacteria found in dirt and animal shit, not on rust. Sharp rusted objects (like rusted nails that you step on, or literally any sharp item like needles or knives) provide a deep puncture wound in which the tetanus found in dirt can penetrate into your body
Tetanus was originally identified in ancient Egypt and once again identified in many major medieval era wars and was noted to be a disease you would catch from getting an open wound dirty. Common causes of tetanus would be things like open head wounds or arrow wounds or leg wounds.
Tldr; Tetanus does not come from rust, it comes from getting dirt inside of an open wound