Historically, when you don't have anesthesia, you do amputations as quickly as possible because otherwise the patient goes into shock and dies. Saws rather than guillotines were the usual method, but Jack didn't have a saw.

But, with a scalpel, can't you be quick? Especially if you're cutting around the bones at a joint rather than through -- no need for a saw.

Also, Boone was already in shock (and already dying, for that matter) -- what's a little more shock to a man with a collapsed lung?

If Jack even had a scalpel sharp enough, it's still like cutting into meat with insew and nerves and having to deal with stoppping in the middle to somehow sever the bones.

The cargo door had the mass to sever the leg and bone in one clean swipe.

Note that Jack dismissed the axe. That was because it was too blunt to do the job cleanly. Maybe a sharpened axe, but they have no way to sharpen it quickly and I'm not sure it has the mass to do it right.

Now a nice Excalibraxe...

DH asked me if I'd rather be needing medical care on the Lost island or in Deadwood. I went with Deadwood, because at least there's laudanum.

It did not occur to me that the cargo door was sharpened, I figured they were going for amputation by crushing and that seemed like a really bad idea. They did get a pretty clean cut through the test log somehow, though.

Note that Jack dismissed the axe. That was because it was too blunt to do the job cleanly. Maybe a sharpened axe, but they have no way to sharpen it quickly and I'm not sure it has the mass to do it right.

I think it was less that than it couldn't cut through a leg in a single blow, it just wasn't big enough. Amputating a hand maybe, but with a leg it'd take 3-4 blows, maybe more, and then you'd have this hideous ragged wound that you probably couldn't stop bleeding. Guillotine = one single clean severing.

Plus, well... aiming an axe that precisely not that easy.

If they can't sharpen the axe, how'd they sharpen the cargo hold door?

I was thinking the cargo hold door edge is very narrow, and the weight of the door itself would carry it through the entire leg.

Maybe a sharpened axe, but they have no way to sharpen it quickly and I'm not sure it has the mass to do it right.

I think it was less that than it couldn't cut through a leg in a single blow, it just wasn't big enough.

Right. Hence my note of it's mass. Door had the mass to do it. Or at least more likely.

I also don't understand the point of the Jack gets married backstory.

My interpretation of this is that Jack is afraid of failure. He wasn't sure if he could go through with the wedding because of what might happen (i.e. marrying her because he helped her and therefore not sure if he could make it through the troubles of marriage). With Boone, he didn't want to fail to save him.

By letting go of his fear of failure he was able to move on (i.e. get married no matter the consequences & let Boone die without amputation and more pain).

I read it the way beathen did, after I got over the surprise of Jack going through with it.

Which also made it little less of an "all about Jack" thing, now that I think about it.

I think it was to show that in both cases he could let go - something they haven't let us see before, and I liked that he wasn't trying to save Boone because of something he'd failed to do in the past, ala Charlie when he shot Ethan.

eta, I can see how if you didn't have any use for Jack, that it would still be very annoying.