The times., 1899-05-21

CdilDTe IS less destructive ana more nu-
name than the old lead missile, rarely
crippling permanently those wounded by
it.
So small. in reality. is the stopping
power of the small caiibre steel-clad bull
let that army officers do not think it would
be effective against fanatical enemy, like
the savage Moros with whom our troops
Will soon have to deal in Mindanao and
the Sulu Archipelago; nor would it be ef-
fective in stopping a cavalry charge. in
which horses and not men are the motive
power. Hunters have found the army bull
let ineffective in bringing down big game,
the proiectile merely drilling small hole
through the animal without causing ma
terial shock. less Of blood or laceration of
tissue. To meet their needs a special soft
point bullet. which mushrooms" on i'm
pact and iniiicts a serious wound, has been
devised; and the use of a similar deform
ing builat-tne DUN Dum-has been recog
niZed by the British government as neces-
sary in its India and Soudan campaigns
against a savage foe. The Springfield ri
he bullet, used in our Philippine campaign,
answers the same purpose. However, the
small calibre bullet is considered amply
effective against civilized soldiers. mas
much as slight wound renders them hors
de combat. Ignorant Of the gravity OF his
hurt, the white soldier when struck almost
invariably falls out and goes to the rear.
no matter how insignificant his wound may
afterward prove TO be. Not so with the
Dervish or Mohammedan warrior, who
fights even when mortally wounded until
the last breath is gone Prof Worcester
one of the Philippine Commissioners cites
in his book the case of a Moro who when
bayoneted pulled the weapon further into
his wound in order to bring the soldier at
the other end nearer and cut him down.
The efficiency of modern firearms in bat
tie can be largely counteracted by open
order formation and the use of entrench-
ments. A thin skirmish line advancing by
rushes under. covering fire will sustain
small injury as compared with the casual
ties which would be suffered by a steady
advance in close formation. Thirty inches
of loose dirt. which can be thrown up in
a short time with bayonet and meat can.
constitute ample protection against infan-
try fire. Chances OF death appear to have
no relation to the distance from the en-
emy. The ratio of Killed to the wounded
seems, in the light of experience, to de-
pend on whether a vital point is struck,
the range figuring as a very small and un-
important factor.
The pain and discomfort following a
modern gunshot wound is singularly
small. The sensation felt on the impact
said to be very much like that of being
struck sharp blow with rattan cane.
If bone is struck the sensation resem-
bles that experienced on receiving
smashing blow with crowbar or a SINH
lar weapon. Unless a nerve is injured or
laceration is extensive, the subsequent
discomfort is trifling. At Santiago the
medical officers found that the hemorrhage
from gunshot wounds was small-the pro-
jectiles actually pressing the blood vessels
TO one side without puncturing them; liga-
tion of arteries was rare, and no cases OF
death from primary hemorrhage occurred.
More remarkable still is the fact that per-
forating wounds OF the brain, lung or
abdominal yiscera, il not Immediately
fatal, were recovered from without opera
tion in large number OF instances.
No amputations were performed at San
tiago. Compound fractures were relative
ly scarce, the bullets as a rule drilling a
hole through the bone without producing
fracture or extensive communion. The
number OF major operations was therefore
small. being less than per cent as conf
pared with 9.37 per cent during the civil
war. 1t is hardly necessary to say that
these results completely overturned pro-
conceived theories of the effect OF modern
gunshot wounds.
Wounds caused by Mauser bullets healed
with wonderful and unexpected rapidity
The small frontage OF these bullets caused
LESSONS in the soft tissues almost subcu
taneous In their nature and the wounds
| healed quickly and kindly Frequently
repair went on under scab. In many
cases 1t was found unnecessary even to