The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-13

conditions of warfare the surgeons NAV
expect to fiud among every one hundred
wounded two or three fractures OF the
thigh, three or four of the leg, three or
four OF the upper arm. three or TOUR Oh tne
forearm. one or two of the knee or elbow
joint, one or two injuries to the hand
one or two perforating wounds OF tine ap-
domen, and three or four perforating
wounds Of the chest. The remainder, or
about eight per cent, will be simple nesh
wounds. There win be fewer complica-
tions than formerly from the 1odgment
OF bullets and from the introduction Oh
pieces of clothing and other foreign sud-
stances into the wounds. As rule, the
injured will recover, unless killed out
right.
During the recent war much attention
was PAID by surge ns to the so.called ex'
plosive effects of the modern rifle bullet,
which are supposed to be due to the rapid
revolution of the projectile, though this
is disr uted by some authorities. These
explosive effects occur at short ranges,
and particular y when the head, the abb
dominal organs and the shafts Of long
bones are struck. For example, q man 8
liver viii be torn TO pieces perhaps BY q
ball at 400 yards. or his skull will actual
ly be rent asunder. .Snch effects do not
appear beyond Loo yards, and after 1900
yards have been traversed by the bullet,
1t makes clean perforations as n rule.
while beyond 1000 yards 1t is apt to lo1gs
in the body. an .a1
Surprising recoyeries from bad brain
wounds were made by some OF our
soldiers who were struck by Mauser bull
lets. In one caseIa man had his skull
ripped open on top. the membranes that
cover the brain Being torn and a good
deal of the brain substance itself do
stroyef. At the same time the man WAS
shot through the, shoulder and through
the chest; yet he was ABOUT and anxious
for duty within ten days. Nothing us
tonisted the army surgeons qui SO
much rs the way in which wounded men
recovered from injuries hitherto regarded
as nee sssarily fatal. Wounds of the lungs
seemed triiiIng, and amputations were
faro In many Instances perforations OF
the intsstIneS produced only temporary
damage, and only in extreme cases were
operations resorted to for abdominal in
juries. Wound of the face occ asioned less
disagreement than formerly, and bullets
were apt to perforate the bones cleanly
without fracturing them. Slight hurts
healed kindly and rapidly gangrene was
almost unknown, and 1t was seldom nec-
e.sary to open a wound for the purpose of
taking out splinters of bone.
One thing obsery ed was that the Span
ish bullets lodged in our men much
oftener than the Yankee bullets lodged
in the Spaniards, the reason presumably
being that they knew the ranges and
were able TO locats and hit the American
soldiers some time before the latter were
able to hit them. As Tor the stopping
power" of the new projectiles, 1t was
noticed that men who were hit even
slightly fell back with pronptness to the
rear. There was no blood / oisoning, aud
the value of nntispetics in military sur
gerry Was fully demonstrated. In one Gu
riouj case two bullets entered the same
hole. tiuully, the conclusion is drawn
that operations in the Held should be
avoided when possible, inasmuch rs in
II ction OF the wound is always much
more likely to occur under such condi-
lions. no matter what precautions ara
taken.
RENE BACHE