The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-17
FATAL INJURIES FEWER
Effect of Old Musket Balls and
Modern Bullets Compared.
Vur1-xox General SternbcrE shows by
Statistic~ Of the Civil. Spanish
american. aud Philippine Wars
1hat Small Calibre I'rotectiles Are
Le.s Deadly Than Larger Missiles.

Brig. Gen. George Ssernberg, Surgeon
General of the Army. has prepared for in
sertion in his annual report some interest
ing comments on comparisons of gunshot
wounds received by American soldiers in
the Spanish American and Philippine wars.
with wounds inflicted by the mimic bull
lets used in the civil war The deduction
drawn from these comparative records is
that the small calibre bullet of today is
less deadly than the old-time musket ball.
General Sternberg says:
.'Of the 1919 men injured by gunshot
during the years 1898 and 1899, $50 were
killed and 1889 wounded and received into
the field and other hospitals. The killed
constituted 119 per cent of those struck;
the wounded SS.1 per cent. In other words
one man was killed tor every "a wounded.
The Mauser bullet must, therefore, be re-
garded as less deadly than the larger mis-
siie used during the civil war The Medical
and Surgical History of the Civil War
shows the following casualties:
Killed Wounded.
United State ti0ops......-.... So $40 2si0i0
Confederate troops. 5l.425 221,s7l
Total ......I HES 07 Oh
In percentages the casualties we're:
Killed. 1897; wounded, s2.G3, or one man
killed for every $50 wounded. The rela-
tive proportion o. killed was therefore con-
siderably larger during the civil war than
during cur recent experiences. II is TO be
noted also that many of the wounds of the
past two years were made by missiles of
large calibre. OF those reported in 1899,
al were specially stated as having been
caused by the Remington bullet of calibre
As. 1t is safe to say that had the whole
number Of wounds received been inflicted
by the smaller calibre Mauser OF Krag-
Jorgensen bullet the percentage of fatal
wounds would have been greatly lessened.
THE less deadly character of the in
juries inflicted by the modern bullets is
manifested also when We exclude the kill
ed and regard only those wounded which
came under the knowledge of the sur
geons. OF these, during the two years
there were 1883. and 259 of the patients,
or 6 per cent of the whole number, died.
The corresponding percentage from the
records of the civil war was 14.3 Table C,
in Part / of the Medical Volume of the
Medical and Surgical History of the War OF
the Rebellion. shows that among the white
troops of the Army there were borne on
the reports of sick and wounded 230.0ls
sunshot wounds. of which 32,s07. or 14.3
per cent, proved fatal. The marked re-
duction of the ratio of killed to wounded
may be placed 10 the credit of the small
ealibre bullet but the lcssened mortality
among the cases which came into the hos
pitai may not be attributed wholly to the
humane character OF the wound inflicted
by this missile.
Due credit must be given 10 the i'm
proved surgical methods of the present
day. Wounds of any region of the body
may be taken in comparison and the re-
suit will always be found TO show a de-
cided lessening in the percentage OF cases
ending fatally among those of the past
two years as compared with those of the
civil war Take. for instance. gunshot
wounds of the fcmur. During the civil
war surgeons of The field hospitals regard
ed fractured femur as a serious menace
to life. the danger from which was be-
fieyed to be materially lessened by the
immediate amputation The field hospital
work after battle consisted largely of
computations. cxcisions, and resections. OF
g.57s fractures OF the femur. 1913 cases were
treated by primary amputation. 1856 by