The Portland daily press., 1900-08-17
BULLET WOUNDS.
Remarkable Recovtrles Of soldiers from
What Seemed Fatal Injuries.
From the Kansas City ono. } Journal.

From the Kansas City (NIo journal.
DR.. Ernest F. Robinson, formerly head
surgeon in the Second Reserve Hospital,
who has just left the army service, is
now settled in Kansas City. DR.. Robin
son during his service in the Phil
ippines, it is said, operated on more gum
shot wounds than another surgeon. He
gives an account of some of the most
wonderful wounds as follows:
''There is something mysterious, al
most weird, in the direction and course
of bullet. Certainly it often seems that
the missile is directed by strange and
unseen force other than the man behind
thu gun, his eye and trigger.
Probably there is no drawer individual
on the face OF the earth than the Ameri-
can soldier. He is not a coward. He is
more often a fatalist. He never believes
he is going to be shot. 1t is always the other
fellow who is going to be hit. In a
crude sort of way he is a philosopher. He
says to himself: If / and the bullet reach
the same place at the same time I Will
suffer for it but L am going to be there
just a little ahead" and he generally is.
So he goes into battle conscious of his
danger, yet with a faith, born of courage
in his own lucky star. And so his faith,
or than unseen power called luck, pro-
tects him.
The most remarkable gunshot wounds
I have ever seen have been received by
these very men, who knew not fear. At
ter the fight at zapote River the hospital
was crowded with victims of gunshot
wounds, chiefly Mauser. One poor fell
low, a corporal, was struck while in the
act of firing. The bullet struck his left
hand and went through the forearm. 1t
then struck the gun barrel and ricocheted
to the right, passing through his neck
pierced his shoulder, emerging at the
back through the shoulder blade. 1t has
thus produced four wounds of entrance
and four Of exit, and had passed through
his hand, arm, neck, and chest, and de-
spite ali this, the plucky fellow walked
back to the dressing station absolutely
refusing to be carried, He recovered
without incident.
''Ihe wound of the mauser is generally
clean and generally antiseptic.
There were quite number of gun
brain substance that recovered, Peter
Dunn of the Twentieth Kansas was per-
haps the most startling example, yet his
case was by no means unique. A poor
fellow of the MOntanas was shot directly
through the head, destrOyinga completely
the sight OF both eyes. No more pitlfuI
condition could be imagined than he as
the transport sailed through thu Golden
Gate into home and God S own land. To
hear and feel and know that he was home
at last, yet to know that his home be
would never see-death almost seemed
preferable.
In a tit OF dependency because he had
mot received a commission, the Sergeant
Major of the Thirty-sixbh United States
/ volunteer Infantry one day placed a 40
caliber revolver at the third interspace
just one inch to the left of the sternum
and pulled the trigger. The ball passed
directly through his chest, and emerged
at the back through the left shoulder
blade. How his heart escaped is a mys-
terry. A knife nor even a needle could
have been passed through in this locality
without producing Instant death, and
yet the boy recovered. Medical men
whom had told OF the case would not
| believe such wound possible without
causing death until they had seen it
his organs were all in their normal posi-
tion, as was shown by careful examin-
! alton, yet the bullet had passed through
the chest The most plausible explana-
ton for this would seem to be that the
boy heart was in his mouth when he
was shot
The true explanation was, that the
ball had passed just above the heart
! grazing 1t or the large blood vessels, and
that the latter had escaped owing to their
elasticity and well known resistance to
bullets, being pushed aside by the ball
in passing.
speaking Of remarkable wounds, Gen
ISr.1,f
| able wound on record, During his cam
paign IN Cuba mauser bullet passed di-
re3tly through his chest from side to side,
| penetrating the lungs andpassing through
the tip or apex of his heart, yet it did
not kin him. The explanation OF this is
that the ball grazed or passed a portion
OF the muscle wall of the heart without
penetrating it or causing shock sufficient
to produce death. Today the heart can
be distinctly felt to pulsate beneath the
scar.
''The stout and hearty bugler of Light
Battery E. of the Fifth Artillery is now
serving with his battery in Gen. Chaffee' S
/ division in China. At Pantan Bridge he
was just sounding the advance when he
! Tell to the ground. He had been struck
in the right shoulder. The surgeon hast
| lily tore Openn his shirt and found a hugh
black and blue mark, but nothing more
! serious. Within few moments he was
! back at his post Not an hour later he
suddenly placed his hand to the same
shoulder, remarking to his captain, who
stood near, m shot this time The
Captain leaned over and picked I'D
spent Remington ball that had Just fallen
to the ground. But the bugler S troubles
were not over, nor his fated shoulder out
Of the range of fire. Before the morning
was over he was shot through the same
shoulder, not two inches from the spot
where he had been shot twice before.
This time the ball passed directly through
his chest and he nearly lost his life.
1t is true, as the soldiers say, when
you try to stop EN- you wish you were
home 80
A DREADFUL PLACE.