The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-16


cause OF that frightful thing known as
hospital gangrene, which so often made
reamputations necessary.
Now to-day there is no such thing as
hospital gapgrene. Al least if there - II
is so rare as to be unknown to the ma
jouty Of practitioners in hospitals. Asep-
tic surgery has reached that stage where
gangrene is almost en- impossibilty. The
result of this win he, in the field hOspi-
tails that when a man is torn by splinter
shell or bullet, he will be so treated that
there IS nothing to contend with except
the direct physical injury caused by the
object that indicted the wound OF course
now rs then, the probabilities OF mans
surviving the shock of a wound are les
sened or increased by his physical state
a the time he received the wound. TAX
ing all things into consideration, I have
no hesitation in saying that the chances
of the United States soldier of escaping
with his life from the dangers of the bat
tletieid are 70 per cent. greater than they
were when last he fought an enemy of
his own color"
as not the character of the wounds in
thcted and the immediate effect of the bull
let or pieces of shell that inflict them
vastly different from what il used 10 be?"
"Thsre is a very marked difference. We
know more about the direct effect of bull
let than Of the sheA. We have experiment
ed with medical subjects IN this regard
J
locity of the modern bullet is 50 great that
when &c passes through the head of a per-
son IL almost annihilates the BRAIN The
old-style bullet might pass through any
thing and leave merely a clear trail behind
il, and therefore its effect was small in
compa rsOn with the present shell. l am
now referring TO the bullet that Is au-
thorized by the Geneva convention which
forbade the use by any nation of the ex-
piosive bullet that indicts such fearful in
jures
Then, again, a man who receives bull
let 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 it is hit is splintered
more. These things would make the or
binary wound in part which is not vital
an exceedingly serious matter, if it were
not for asepuc surgery. l do not say that
the wounds are not serious 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 development. l
| think man IS more likely to lose leg
or an arm than during our last war, for
! the very reason that 1 have stated-the
| increased SCATTERING of bone and tissue
| How will the injuries inflicted by pieces
| of shell differ from the old days?"
The change Is caused by the difference
| in the proiectile and In the material used.
| The shell breaks in a different way, 1t is
| so different in every way that the effect
| seems to be much greater, meaning by that
| that the injury inflicted Is more severe /
| believe that the statement regarding the
| bullet, that there are but two Alternatives,
! death and recovery when a soldier is
| stricken-meaning instant dea th--hold good
! in the case of the shell, and think that
the statistics of the wars killed and
wounded will prove this satisfactorily
| 1A inf NV ~
wood will be infinitely more dangerous
| than that resulting from a bit of shell.
regard the wood splinter wound, taken al
| together, as frightful, il not the most
| frightful injury that can be received in
| battle in that it lodges and penetrates
the flesh in Jagged ways that make recov-
cry well-nigh an impossbility This fact
Is entirely realized by the men at the head
of the medical department of our army
and navy. 1t IS TO avoid wounds of this
sort that every bit of woodwork posi-
bic is thrown from a ship when she goes
into action. Stripping for action is whal
the naval men call it, but it is in reality
stripping to prevent wounds"
rs the medical service which the soldiers
and sailors will receive thoroughly up-to.
date, and will all these modern advantages
be there?"
There never was such a hospital ser,
vice as that of the United States on land
In the field or at sea. l have had occasion
to become very familiar with the fact:
regarding this subject, and to know tn,
two gentlemen who have them in charg,
for the government. l want to say that i
is my sincere belief that there is not al
incompetent medical man in the servic,
to-day. Every man selected to fill a vol
unteer appointment in the medical corp!
has been picked from his fellows becaus,
his training has fitted him for the posi-
ton. Do you realize that in New Yorl
city the hospitals receive every day NOR
men suffering from wounds than the re
cord shows United States soldiers hav
fallen In battle with the Spaniards? TIL,
man who has had a hospital training in ,
great city if he Is bright and capable i
well fitted for medical position in tn
army or navy
I'm addition to all this is the aid an,
comfort The Red Cross Society VIII give t,
the wounded. The moment a man i
wounded he becomes a neutral a non
combatant. He is out of the fight, and. il
accordance with the international agree
ment TO the results of the Geneva conven
ton, he is no longer any ones enemy. bu
a man TO be aided and cured if possible
The Red Cross has at its command ever,
facility that it Is possible to obtain. I
seems to me that the soldier should b
able to go into conflict with twice in
courage when he can think that whethe
any one knows him or not if he is wound
ed he will receive the same care the high
est officer in the army to which he be
longs would have given him..
How great do you believe Is the DANCE
to our soldiers of falling victims to vel
low fever and other diseases of that sort :?
Very much less than has been stated
Every precaution is being taken by tn
surgeons of the feet and armies to inocu
late the men as much as possible agafns
sickness of this sort. I am confident tn
! results viii be that very small percent
age of our men viii become fever victim
or sufferers from those ailments akin {
cholera peculiar to the tropical climat,
In fact, l am firmly of the opinion tina
the percentage of actual sickness anon
3 our men win be very small in proportio
, to the total number"
"Do you believe the regular soldier tn
soldier of the regular army, is less liabl
TO sickness than the volunteer?''
t ''Most certainly. He is more Injured I
} the life that the soldier in service mus
e of necessity lead, 1t is his business. An