The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-08-02
MEDICAL SCENES IN THE ITALIAN CAM
PAIGN
( From The London JNedjco1 N,,,,


From the London Medical Ncigsl
Mr.. Armand, of the Fourth French Army Corns
writes as follows.
"The battle fought on the Ticino was hotIv con.
Iested on poth SIDES and attended with great losses
Everything in our department was organized for
acting cito cHtsSne cOnformably to the urgency OF
the circumstances and the injunction of Inspector
Baron Lahrey: Proceed direct to the bridge dress
tne e wounded as rapidly as possible, as to put
them IN a condition to be evacuated on the hOspi-
tails and do not lose time in great operations which
may be deferred Most of the injuries of the head
only required simple dressings for the reason that
'hose winch penetrated were usually fatal on the
spot Those OF the face accompanied by the
most 1rlghttul injury, without affecting the intel
lectual faculties; the patients themselves indeed
come to have their wounds dressed Wounds of the
neck were also usually Immediately fatal or com
paratvely slight. One of the prisoners had receiv-
ed wound in the mouth with a sabre-bavonet.
which glanced off at the side Of the iaw and came
out at the lateral and upper part Of the neck
There was hardly any loss of blood, and simple
suture at the commissure of the lips, and bandage
were all that were required. Injuries of theu
tremlties almost always, whatever their amount.
allowed OF the wounded repairing soon to the am
balances. Penetrating wounds of the chest and
abdomen, usually so fatal, allowed in several in
stances their victims to survive for some time
usually to die, however, on their roaC TO- or soon
after their arrival at the hospital.
In some cases, however, vigorous reparative DOW
er OF the economy, and free use of antiphlogistc
means enabled recovery to take place. Injuries to
the lower eXtremities were numerous and the frac-
lures often comminuted. The rule was here
as In other cases, to extract accessible foreign bod
les, arrest hemorrhage, and so to put up the part
as to enable the patient to be carried to the hospit
al, where the question of amputatiOn WOuld have
to be decided. The military surgeon is tbus com
PEELED to much temporizing surgery; and for our
part we scarce know the case calling for immediate
amputation on the field, except when some large
prolectile has carried away limb with irremedia-
n Supb 41,
tIon need be immediate only when there is, which
Is rarely the case, dangerous hemorrhage; for in
this case it is preferable to amputate, and tie the
vessels regularly, then to apply temporary Iioa-
ture to the wounded vessel. When the amount of
general stupor is such to lead to the fear of fatal
syncope during the operation, provisional dress
ing only should be applied. As W. too often saw
IN the CrImea, whatever we do under these circum-
stances, if the part injured be the leg, and still
more the thigh, we shall rarely save life
The armies now engaged both use the new FIRE
arms the balls of which deviate far less after srik
ing an object than the old spherical balls We must
therefore, expect larger proportion of comminut-
cd fractures. Hollow and explosive projectiles be-
ing also proportionay more employed the artillery
hghtlng has become mLre murderous. Altogether
we have therefore to expect greater proportion
OF fatal cases among the wounded than heretofore
Alter we had diSencumbered our ambulances we
carefully explored he field of battle both to remove
any wounded that still might have been LETT and to
direct the interments. There were but few French
SUN wanting succor, nut great number of
wounded Austrians had been Abandoned The
proof of the precipitancy of the retreat or rather
fight of the enemy, was the large number of wound
ed officers they left behind, without any provision
for their treatment.
While traversing the battlefield of Magenta. the
saying which had formerly been current with re-
spect to Russian soldiers, that they must not only
be killed but thrown down. was brought to mind
great number of the killed, in fact, retained in
part the attitude they were in on receiyinr their
eat th-lIn hos hp had Il al
the head usually fell with their face to the ground
and with complete resolution of the limbs In
those wounded in the heart, death, though rapid,
is not so instantaneous that some attitude cannot
be taken. Zouave so struck had fallen on his
musket which he held in the position of bayonet
charge, his energetic face projected forwards with
the menaclng attitude of dead lion. Not far of.
as contrast lay an Austrian, who had died of
hemorrhage, and in his agony he had taken the at
titude of supplcating Heaven-his face turned up
wards and his two hands joined, with fingers firmly
interlaced
A Hungarian Hussar, killed at the same time as
his horse, both being shot through the head, re-
NAMED in his saddle. carrying the sabre forward as
during charge. Some of the Austrian officers
found among the slain, exhibited distinguished
and were dressed with exquisite, al
most affected neatness and cleanness-ther features
very different from most of their soldiers SEEMING
to exhibit courage with resignation. Such were
some of the impressions made upon us while ira
Verslng the feld OF battle, giving rise to painful
SnotioIS, ht!ie calcuiated 10 dlssipate those pro-
duced by still more dreadful scenes within the
ambulances, the receptacle of suffering of every
kind Physical fatigue is great, indeed, but so also
Is the moral exhaustion of the surgeon; and great
Is the error of those who think his heart is hard,
and that his impassibility is the result of inder-
ence.
In our ambulances, calmness and resignation dis
tlngushed the wounded To their honor be it said,
the soldiers with and often fatal wounds re-
strained their complaints, and patiently awaited
III bnir GrooDe and
heard. The stocsm of courage proud in its wounds,
was the general rule. The railway to Milan, which
the enemy had not time to destroy, was of immense
service in transporting the wounded to the hospitals
thnf citrr