The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-13
BULLET AND SHELL.
How Those of Modern War NIsim and
DeefrOY.


Destroy.
From the New Orleans Times Democrat
Washington April Sin computing war
losses, the most serious in the list are the
gallant fighters who die for their country
Battered battleships can be repaired
sunken vessels replaced by new ones, but
the trained soldiers and sailors killed in
war are losses that hit at the heart of a
NJ Ion. il taxes many bullets to kill one
man, however and army veterans say
that shells are the least to be feared of all
missiles of war. The records of naval
fights are not so comforting. IN the en-
gagement between China and Japan at
Phung-do on July p, 1894, two shells struck
a japanese boat and exploded doing no
harm. At Yalu, of all the shells fired at
the japanese ships, only 100 hit the mark,
but the killed and wounded by the shell
fire was 29S. The percentage was as fol-
lows: Seamen, 579S per cent. petty Off
GERS, 1914 per cent; officers, 1907 per cent;
civilians, 2.35 per cent. Other non-comDat-
ants account for 6.3S per cent. in each
class.
AT Yalu ten japanese were killed by the
vibration of air caused by the firing Ct
their own guns" In some cases shells did
severe damage on japanese ships. One
vessel had thirty persons killed and
seventy injured by the explosion of enc
she'll Another lad fourteen killed and
twenty-seven injured in like manner. OF
course the greatest damage was done y
shells that burst The bursting of even
small shells did great injury. In one ili-
stance four persons were killed and six
wounded by the explosion of very small
shell. In the 29S killed or injured the head
wounds were most frequent the ratio be-
ing 21.15 per cent. of the total NUMBER.
Next in order came wounds ''of the greater
part of the body" of the upper limbs, of
the lower limbs of the abdomen and lum-
bar region, and of the chest and back,
while the neck suffered least.
In a land fight the number of wounds of
the lower extremities is commonly great
est, and those of the upper extremities and
head next; then came the chest and back,
the abdomen and lumbar region, while the
neck wounds are again fewest. Compar-
ing the number of wounds received in a
land fight with those received in naval
combat it is found that they are almost
identical. The difference is that in land
fight the greatest number of injuries re-
ceved are In the extremities, the head
wounds coming next, while in battles at
sea the head wounds are most numerous
and those of the extremities come next. Of
the 29S injured in this battle 80 were kill
ed, SO died of their wounds. and It's recov-
cred,
In the attack upon Wei-Hai-Wel, the
japanese warships were struck twenty
eight times and Sc men were killed or inJur-
ed, an average of from two to three killed
or wounded to every shell received.
1t is particularly interesting in connec-
ton with this subject 10 note that the
wounded in a war between the United
States and Spain would have the aid of a
body of skilled medical men whose exist
ence as an organized body is little known.
They call themselves the Association of
Military Surgeons of the United States.
The organization was born as a national
guard body in 1884, at the instigation of
DR.. Nicholas Sem, distinguished sur
geon of Chicago, and at that time surgeon
general of the Wisconsin National Guard.
In 1898 the medical officers of the army and
marine hospital service were invited to be-
come members and the body became
known by its present name,
| The association aims to make a speciality
of military practice seeks to advance and
| improve military medicine surgery, sanl-
| tation and equipment, and stimulate leg
islation that shall be beneficial to the med
| ical departments of both national and
state military and naval establishments.