The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-13
SURGICAL WAR HISTORY.
Pictorial Volumes in Prepare.
tion by the War Department.
They VIII he Composed Largely Of
Photographs Illustrating the
Recent Conflict In Its
Surgical Aspect.
Correspondence of the Boston Iran
script.)

script.)
Washington, May 5.-"The Surgical
History of the War with Spain," soon to
he published by the War Department.
will be copiously illustrated with photo
graphs taken expressly for the purpose by
experts who made 1t their business to rec
ord In this imperishaple way every feat.
urs of the recent conflict that had to do
with the killing, the wnunding and the
treating in hospital Of our soldiers. Con-
ssquently the work has been very beaut-
fully done, and the series of volumes,
comprising pictures and text, will fur
nish a memorial as monumental il char
acter as it is novel in kind. They will
carry the reader into the field ana show
him how meE were Injured or slain in
battle; how they were brought to the
canvas-walled hospitals and subjected to
emergency treatment; and how they were
taken aboard the hospital ships, or ether.
wise disposed of, up to the time of final
recovery or death. This portion of the
subject matter will have its Manila chap
ter. its Cuban chapter and its Porto Ri
can chapter, and the medical story of tine
military camps in this country will lie
told in a similarly striking fashion, while
X-ray as kiagraphs" Of brain wounds.
bone wounds and imbsdded Mnuser bull
let's will lend realism to the discussion.
The text of this history will be hardly
less entertaining than the pictures, and
some very remarkable conclusions will he
drawn as to the improvement of modern
warfare in the direction of humanity
To offset the increased efficiency Of weap-
ons, the distance between conteuding
mentsd minimizing the number of hits
and the severity of wounds inflicted. Not
the perfected krag-J orgenson, nor yet the
auotmatiu field gun, will approach the
short sword of thu ancient Roman r.
gionary as an Instrument OF killing.
Nowadays fifteen per cent. of casualties
in pitched battle is considered very
large, whereas the Romans at Cannae
killed or wounded ninety two per cent.
OF their adversaries. AT hunerdorf, in
1853, the casualties ran up to the thirty
eight per cent, and at Maiad, in 1906, the
French lost fifty -three per cent. Of their
whole army, the fighting being PRACTICAL
ly hand-to-hand.
A vast array of figures is atduced TO
prove that warfare, with all its modern
improy ements, is becoming steadily more
humana. The number of men killed per
hour is less. At the battle of Borodino
the number killed ler hour was $500; at
kunersd orf 1t was 4150 ger hour; ut Kon-
igsgrazt 390S per hour; at Leipsic 3000 per
hour; at Solferino 27'1 per hour; and ut
Metz 2709 per hour. The proportion of
hits to shots fred has not materially in
creased, Notwithstanding the boasted ac-
curacy of the new firearms. At the battle |
of Lelpsic the amount of lead expended |
for each man killed WAS equal to his !
weight. AT MuIfrteSboro. according TO "a |
report by Rosecrins, twenty seven rifle |
bullets and 1855 musket balls were re-
Quired to hit one man. At Mars la Tour |
inc Germans made one hit in 452 shots |
fired.
The experiences of the late war showed |
that the percentage of hits made with the |
krag- Jorgenson rifle in an average bat
tie may be expected to We about one in
400. In other words, inasmuch as our
so oilers carry 100 rounds each, 1t will rsr9I
qrire all the amini n non of four men to |
wUunu .,,s Ct thu enemy In future
wars, acc r ing to the opinions OF tie eSs1
perts, TT e uasusltie $, will rise aDosei
~ per cant fourth of tie men hit |
heing kiileu outright A division Ct
100, % men ut this urate would have 500U3
killed, 900 10 severely wounded as to rept
quire TO he CT r led elf the fell, and LOAF
slightly injured, most of whom would be |
abe to Walk TO The dressir G t,tions u |
Do treated. The great majority OF |
hAv xptl Ina n q fat
by small arms Ihe percentage of small |
arm wounds i'll the civil war was 10; i'll |
the Franco German conflict : it was "a. |
Saber and bayonet wounds will furnish |
to per cent. of the injuries. DO vever, |
in siege operations the percentage oil |
hits by large projectiles is always likely |
TO be great. anu mas been known to rise |
as high as so per ceat.
Not only Is modern warfare less san
culinary, but it entails less suffering Oh |
the part of non -compatants. 1t Is said |
that even yet Germany has not quite re- |
covered from the ELECTS OF the famous
Thirty Years war, which brought sue |
widespread desolation to great part of
During that conflict BATTLES oc- |
Cured only once in about THREE years, |
in the Franco Prus sian struggle |
important engagements took placs every |
second day on an average. 1t is tenden-
CT of warfaIe under mouern conditions to |
precipitate results, battles following each |
other at closs intervals, SO that the END Is |
soon reached aud peace arrives. lt is |
worth mentioning in this connect zion |
thar. contrary to the popular impfe. sion.
the number Of troops engaged Ia modern
battles is not greater than IN those of an |
cieut times. AT Piataea $1,000 Persians
fought against 10000 Greeks, ANA over l.!
100, co linen wers Engaged at Arbela In the
bloody battle Of Leipsic more than 4s6. COO |
took part, and the numbers engaged at
Solferino were U.0Lp, at Gettysburg
u, 900. and at Metz 500,l0j.
The ratio of killed 10 wounded mas not
become greater in modern military con-
fiicts than in those of former days. AT
kunersuort 1t was | to l $40, at Leipsic
1t WAS to 2, among the British in the
CIimea Ii was / to 4-10, among the
French in the Crimea it was l to $40,
among the Prussians at Konlgsgratz il
was | 60 8 $40, among the Austrians at
Konissgratz IL was l to g. among the
Germans IN 1901 IL was l to 4-1L in
aur own c,vu war 1t was l to 4, anu in
/ ne Spanish American struggle 1t was l
60 do.
;-l, tt,x.D 1t,