Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-05-04
POINTS ON WARFARE.

At this time, when the United States
is engaged In the greatest naval war
OF the century SO far as it has gone,
Information regarding such battling is
always in demand. The populace gem
orally have some understanding OF
how land fights are conducted, running
all the way from n gllmmering one
from reading and hearing them spoken
of up to and including the most thor
ough comprehension obtained by in
telligent. varied and active experience.
But such fighting has not yet had Its
day so far as the trouble with Spain is
concerned. and one or two more Vie
tories like that OF Dewey may 80
change the aspect Of affairs that in
fantry will not be much in demand.
The losses by warfare are generally
first figured up. the ranking item be-
ing that of life. 1t is observed by a
cotemporary that "bnttered battleshlps
can be repaired, but the trained sol
diers and sailors killed in war are
losses that hit at the heart of ma
ton" 1t Is well understood that 1t
takes many bullets to kill one man,
and those who have had ample chance
to find out claim that shells are least
to be feared of all war missiles, on
land, but the naval record Is not so
comforting. Reference is made to the
battle between the Chinese and Japan
ese at Phung-do, on July 25. 1894. in
which two shells struck Japanese
boat and exploded without harm; but
In the dramatic encounter on the Yalu
river. when the Chinese rained shells
in the direction of the enemy, their
Workmanship was so bad that only
100 struck, but these averaged nearly
three men killed each, the exact total
number Of slain being POS. At the same
place ten Japanese were killed by the
vibration Of air caused by the firing
shells did severe damage on Japanese
ships. One vessel had thirty persons
killed and seventy injured by the ex-
plosion of one shell. Another had
fourteen killed and twenty-seven In
Jured by one shell. OF course the
that burst. The bursting of even small
shells did great injury. In one in
stance four persons were killed and six
wounded by the explosion of very
small shell. In the POS killed or injured,
head wounds were most frequent the
ratio being 2515 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 lumbar region and
OF the chest and back, while the neck
suffered least. In land fighting 1t is
not So the lower extremlties suffering
most. the upper ones and head next,
then the chest ard back. abdomen and
lumbar regions, while the neck again
escapes oftenest.
1t Is cited as an interesting and
gratifying fact that the wounded In
the present war Will have the benefit
Of body Of skilled surgeons and
physicians known as the Association OF
Military Surgeons OF the United states
1t began as n national guard body i'm
1891 at the suggestion of DR.. Nicholas
Sem of Chicago. In 1898 the medical
officers of the Army and Marine Hos
pltal Service became members by In
vitation. The association makes a
speciality OF military practice and II Is
to be hoped that 1t has a representa-
tive or two along with Commodore
Dewey. Although there are no re-
ports, 1t is hardly probable that our
sluad:on escaped without casualties,
among which may be painfully long
list of dead and larger one OF wound
cd