The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-16
DANGER FROn WOUNDS IN WAR
Chances of Recovery Is Per Cent Greater Row Than They
Were Twenty Years Ago.

I
, style bullet might pass through any
thing and leave merely a clear trail
oehlnd 1T, and therefore its effect was
small IN comparison with the present
smell am now referring to the bullet
that is authorized by the Geneva con-
Ventlon, which forbade the use by any
nation of the explosive bullet that in
NETS such fearful injuries.
Ihen again, man who receives a
pullet wound in the body suffers from
much more serious injury than he
would have in other days. More tissue
IS DESTROYED and the bone, if hit, is
spllntered more. These things would
make the ordinary wound in a part
which is not vital an exceedingly
serious matter, il it were not for
aseptic surgery. / do not say that the
wounds are not serious, as they are.
but here again we find the injury is
by modern surgical methods confined
simply to the hurt made by the bullet
and not the result of some after de-
Veiopment. / think a man is more
likely to lose leg or an arm than dur
ing our last war, for the very reason
that have stated-the increased
shattering of bone and tissue"
How will the injuries inflicted by
pieces of she'll differ from the old
days?"
The change is caused by the differ
ence in the prOjectile and in the ma
terial used. The shell breaks in a diff
ferent way. It is so different in every
way that the effect seems to be much
greater, meaning by that that the in
jury inflicted is more severe. I be-
! lieve that the statement regarding the
bullet that there are but two alterna-
| tlves, death and recovery. when a SOL
der is stricken-meaning instant death
hold good in the case of the shell.
! ir,l- Iof
wars killed and wounded Will prove
( this satisfactorily
/ The wound inflicted by a splinter
OF wood will be Infinitely more danger
Gus than that resulting from bit of
shell. 1 regard the wood-spIinter
/ wound, taken altogether as frightful
II not the most frightful injury that
! can De received in battle, in that it
/ lodges and penetrateS the flesh in Jag
/ ged ways that make recovery we'll
nigh an impossibility. This fact is
! entirely realized by the man at the
head of the medical department of our
army and navy. 1t is to avoid wounds
of this sort that every bit of wood
work possible is thrown from a ship
when she goes into action. Stripping
for action is what the naval men call
IL, but 1t is in reality stripping to pre-
vent wounds"
rs the medical service which the
/
oughly up to date, and will all these
modern advantages be there?''
Inere never was such a hospital ser
vice as that of the United States. on
land, in the field or at sea I have had
| occasion to become very familiar with
the facts regarding this subject. and
10 know the two gentlemen who have
them in charge for the government. I
want to say that it is my sincere be-
lief that there is not an incompetent
medical man in the service today.
Every man selected to fill volunteer
appointment in the medical corps has
been picked from his fellows because
his training has fitted him for the po-
Sitlon- Do you realize that in New York
city the hospitals receive every Gay
more men suffering from wounds than
the record shows United States soldiers
have fallen in battle with the Span
iards? The man who has had a hos
pital training in a great city. if he is
bright and capable, is well fitted FOR a
medical position in the army or navy
In addition to all this is the aid and
comfort the Red Cross society Will give
to the wounded. The moment man
is wounded he becomes a neutral. a
non-combatant. He is out of the fight.
and. in accordance with the interna-
tional agreement to the results of the
Geneva convention, he Is no longer any
ones enemy. but a man to be aided and
cured is possible. The Red Cross has
at its command every facility that it
is possible to obtain. 1t seems to me
that the soldier should be able to go
into conflict with twice the courage
when he can think that. whether any
one knows him or not, if he is wounded
he will receive the same care the high
est officer in the army to which he be-
longs would have given him.
sfTJOv- GREAT 40. Won beIiava tho
ger to our soldiers of falling victims to
yellow fever and other diseases Of that
sort?"
Very much less than has been stat
ed. Every precautiOn is being taken by
the surgeons of the fleet and armies TO
inoculate the men as much as possible
against sickness of this sort. am con-
fident the result will be that a very
small percentage of our men will be-
come fever victims or suffer from those
ailments akin to cholera peculiar to
the tropical climate. In fact, am firm
ly of the opinion that the percentage of
actual sickness among our men VIII
be very small in proportion to the to-
tai number"
DO you believe the regular soldier
the soldier of the regular army, is less
liable to sickness than the volunteer"
Most certainly. He is more Injured
to the life that the soldier in service
ness. And what to the volunteer are
serious evils amount to little with him.
The average regular is hardy, exercised
and in fit condition almost all the time.
The volunteer is soft, physically, and
the. first experience of hard living that
would make the regular grumble, but
not affect him physically, would make
the volunteer well-nigh a subject for
the hospital. This is not because the
volunteer is not as brave a man or
will not when he has had a chance
make as good a soldier as the regular;
but until he has become just as ex-
perienced he is not as capable a man
for the service.
Il believe that the regular will stand
a better chance of recovering from
wound than the volunteer, because his
recuperative powers are apt to be much
greater. 1t makes a very great differ
ence, too, if a man goes into battle in
good physical condition. If he is SUI
fering from weakness as the result
of some disorder brought on by climat-
ic or food conditions he cannot hope for
recovery, where the hardened, seasoned
soldier would be laid up for a time,
but eventually come out all right SIM
pie physical fatigue has no such eff
feet. However, believe it will be found
when this war is over that the actual
loss of life from all causes will be pro-
portionately very greatly less than in
any war of consequence that has taken
place" CHAS. CULVER JOHNSON.
One He Didn't Know.
Chicago Daily News: what an excep-
hqt r. RiQrleV