Daily national Republican., 1863-04-24

gunshOt wounds the nature OF the missile pro-
ducng them; the general treatment to which
the patients have been subjected, aud the final
result of the case. Whenever it happens that
the treatment Of any patient may not yet have
been terminated, the case is inserted in a col
umn " remaining still under treatment"
The sending of this report is rigidly enforced,
and surgeons delinquent in this respect are Sc
vcrCly reprmanded. As soon as all reports
for any given month or. quarter are received
into the Surgeon Generals Office, the labor of
consolidation is at once commenced.
To Surgeon l. II. Brinton, L. S. A., has been
assigned the task of revising, consolidating,
and preparing for publication the great mass of
surgical material which is being daily aCcumu-
lated. This consolidation is in itself a work
of very considerable labor, and great caution is
required in reducing the matter to such form as
may be suitable for publication. Errors Of
every sort abound, and must be carefully elm
mated before the work can he looked upon as
in any way reliable. The consolidation above
alluded to is effected in the following manner
All the monthly reports Of wounded received
are carefully scrutinizcd; those in which innc-
curaciCs are detected are at once returned to
their authors for correction; those found to hr
correct pass into the hands of the clerks for
analysis and tramsrrrgnrc to the consolidated
tables. All injuries Of a similar nature occur
ring in the [. 5. A. general hospitals are thus
collected on separate sheets, and the addition
Of certain columns marked " Wounds re-
ceivcd. ." Returned to duty,"" Discharged the
service" Died. Remaining under treat
mcnt," indicate the number Of cases Of any
given injury Tins, by a single glance at the
sheets headed "Gunshot fracture Of the arm. D."
may be detected the number of these injuries
which have been received in any given quarter
throughout the entire army of the United
States, the mortality attending them, and the
number still remaining under treatment.
The results thus obtained are not to be looked
upon as of mere theoretical and scentihcal
nature, on the contrary, they posses, for the
practical surgeon daily called upon TO treat in
| jurics received in battle, the highest possible
value. For, by careful study of the COM
hincd experience of the many able medical men
now in the service Of their country, it is Ger
tain that not only may new and useful modes
of treatment he introduced, but, at the same
time, Objectionable doctrines aud practices now
in vogue be modified or ahOndOncd.
The materials being now collected in the
manner above described, exceed in extent any
which have ever yet been presented to the sur
gical world. 1t has never happened in any pre-,
vious war, on the part of any nation, that such
strenuous efforts have been made, not only for
the welfare Of the soldier, but also for the ad,
vanccmcnt Of professional learning. 1t is for,
tunatc, indeed, for the interests Of the medical
profession, that the gentleman now filling the
responsible office Of Surgeon General combines
at once the qualities Of the accomplished sur
gcon and the man Of science.
| Another feature in the office Of the Surgeon
General is the Army Medical Museum. This
institution was founded in August last by the
present Surgeon General. At this moment the
collection numbers nearly fifteen hundred OBJ
jects, and is being daily and rapidly increased
The first printed catalogue. we are informed Is
already in press. Short as has been the time
which has elapsed since its formation, it Is
already the largest and most complete repre-
scntaton in the world Of the fearful character
Of gunshot injuries.
But the object desired 10 be obtained by the
Surgeon General in the formation Of this mu-
scum was other than the mere bringing to-
gethcr OF objects calculated 10 graiity NOR
bid curiosity. His aim was far higher. 1t Wa
TO present to the military ruryron, IN true
Light, the real nature Of those wounds for which
his profession and skill are rrory day invoked;
to show to him their importance and their
gravity and to point hi'u to the true lndca-
tiOns Oftrratmcut. The lesson which IN evami-
nation of the collection tr1rhrs i- one most
wcighty import, and strongly udirrl,- the nc
cessity of some such sl"Cirl study. 10 1T tn"
practitioner Of civil lI,. for the urluuuh duties
Of the military surgeon. 1t was 10 aid thia
laudable enterprise Of the Surgeon General that
Congress, in its recent session, appropriated the
sum Of five thousand dollars. From what we
have ourselves seen, Of the present condition Of
the cabinet, we arc well satisfied Of the wisdom
Of such grant
We believe, in truth, that this museum, and
the tcachmg7 which can he dcduccd from il,
will hereafter T." far towards training, for the
service Of tho army, a class Of men cduclt ted
and Informed, a. To their duties, and well nttcL
to meet and fulfil the responsibility and labors
Of the military surgeon.