branding and children

[Stephen Hodge]

Allen Thrasher wrote:

". . . the little brass wire implements for these insignia in antique
stores. I think they are sometimes used for branding, sometimes for marking
the body with sandalwood."

If these implements are small, specially with more than the simplest
pattern, they could probably not have been used for branding children.  The
scar left from the burn from any portion of a brand on human skin, esp. with
the delicate skin of children, spreads to several times the size of the
intended line and become blurred and fused together with neighbouring lines.
It's not like tattooing.  If you look around on the internet, you will find
that there is a whole sub-culture in the West, esp. among gangs, that use
brands as initition symbols or fashion statements.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge