Hemalurgy and Bloodborne Diseases

[Qianweilian He/him]

So, I was thinking the other day, spiking big railroad spikes through your body is generally not good for your health. We know from WoB that hemalurgy doesn't cause infection, but what about bloodborne diseases?

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Questioner

I got my ears pierced recently and it got me thinking about Vin's earring. It's a Hemalurgic spike, right?

Brandon Sanderson

Mmhmm.

Questioner

And the Inquisitors don't have to worry about infection or anything with their eye spikes. So when Vin got her ear pierced as a baby, she also didn't have to worry about infection?

Brandon Sanderson

Probably.

Questioner

That is an awesome gig!

Brandon Sanderson

...It comes with some terrible side effects, but it is a pretty nice gig.

https://wob.coppermind.net/events/171/#e8273

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to this WoB, hemalurgy has "terrible side effects," yet the only real side effect we see for individuals under four spikes is Ruin's voice. Hemalurgy having a "safe" amount doesn't really feel in line with the art.

The Inquisitor's murder spike tables are terrible ideas in real life—and not just because of the injury. It has serious risk for other complications, besides the infections they're immune to. What if, say a coinshot, is having his power stolen from him, but he has HIV? As HIV (or hepatitis or something else) transfers upon contact with bodily fluids (like blood) this feels like a severe risk for the Inquisitors.

Does the same force that blocks hemalurgic infections block this sort of disease transfer? Perhaps that's the reason the Inquisitors are all given F-Gold, because they need it in order to not die from AIDS. Does anyone else know something that might tell us more?

[JustQuestin2004 he/him]

34 minutes ago, Qianweilian said:

So, I was thinking the other day, spiking big railroad spikes through your body is generally not good for your health. We know from WoB that hemalurgy doesn't cause infection, but what about bloodborne diseases?

According to this WoB, hemalurgy has "terrible side effects," yet the only real side effect we see for individuals under four spikes is Ruin's voice. Hemalurgy having a "safe" amount doesn't really feel in line with the art.

The Inquisitor's murder spike tables are terrible ideas in real life—and not just because of the injury. It has serious risk for other complications, besides the infections they're immune to. What if, say a coinshot, is having his power stolen from him, but he has HIV? As HIV (or hepatitis or something else) transfers upon contact with bodily fluids (like blood) this feels like a severe risk for the Inquisitors.

Does the same force that blocks hemalurgic infections block this sort of disease transfer? Perhaps that's the reason the Inquisitors are all given F-Gold, because they need it in order to not die from AIDS. Does anyone else know something that might tell us more?

Being more Invested provides more resistance against diseases in general, this is prominetly shown in the Heightening's provided by Breath, but also shown in the people of Roshar, even those who lack powers tend to be healthier than they should be due to living on such a highly Invested World.

So I'd say it depends on just how far one is willing to go, Inquisitors are very much more Invested than the average person and tend to have a spike that provides healing through Gold Feruchemy. Not to mention that Koloss are able to survive even as Elders, when most of their skin is torn off by their enlarged muscles, and yet its never been said that they suffer from infections from all their torn skin. Those guys eat ash for goodness sakes.

To put it short, Hemalurgy is wack yo. Though it would be pure karma if the Steel Inquisitors and the Spiked members of the Set did suffer from this.

[Qianweilian He/him]

13 minutes ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Not to mention that Koloss are able to survive even as Elders, when most of their skin is torn off by their enlarged muscles, and yet its never been said that they suffer from infections from all their torn skin.

I mean, there’s going to be far less risk of this sort of thing occuring without the spike tables that directly put the spike through both. Also, how long do the elder koloss live for?

16 minutes ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

Being more Invested provides more resistance against diseases in general, this is prominetly shown in the Heightening's provided by Breath, but also shown in the people of Roshar, even those who lack powers tend to be healthier than they should be due to living on such a highly Invested World.

Part of the Rosharan healthiness will be herd immunity, and they were still wrecked by the common cold when it was introduced by worldhoppers. Also, I don’t think Allomancy invests the person nearly as much as say, a Nahel Bond or the Shaod.

17 minutes ago, JustQuestin2004 said:

To put it short, Hemalurgy is wack yo. Though it would be pure karma if the Steel Inquisitors and the Spiked members of the Set did suffer from this.

Yes it would.

[Trusk'our he/him]

12 hours ago, Qianweilian said:

So, I was thinking the other day, spiking big railroad spikes through your body is generally not good for your health. We know from WoB that hemalurgy doesn't cause infection, but what about bloodborne diseases?

According to this WoB, hemalurgy has "terrible side effects," yet the only real side effect we see for individuals under four spikes is Ruin's voice. Hemalurgy having a "safe" amount doesn't really feel in line with the art.

The Inquisitor's murder spike tables are terrible ideas in real life—and not just because of the injury. It has serious risk for other complications, besides the infections they're immune to. What if, say a coinshot, is having his power stolen from him, but he has HIV? As HIV (or hepatitis or something else) transfers upon contact with bodily fluids (like blood) this feels like a severe risk for the Inquisitors.

Does the same force that blocks hemalurgic infections block this sort of disease transfer? Perhaps that's the reason the Inquisitors are all given F-Gold, because they need it in order to not die from AIDS. Does anyone else know something that might tell us more?

 Personally, I would assume that Hemalurgy would block bloodborne pathogens as long as they were transferred through where the spike is being implanted- the Investiture in the spike shields from other bacteria, viruses, and other nasties, and so should presumably protect from those too. It probably would not keep you safe from transfer through other places though, and given how messy the creation of Inquisitors is I'd be surprised if most didn't have some bloodborne diseases from the half-Skaa they murdered (though pewter and gold certainly helps them resist the effects when they want).

As @JustQuestin2004 said though, more Investiture in general will let you resist disease in any form though, so there's that too.