Evening star., 1900-08-18
BULLET WOUNDS.
remarkable RecoverieS of Soldiers
From What Seemed Fatal Injuries.

Remarkable Recoverfex of Soldiers
From What Seemed Fatal Injuries
From the Kansas City Journal
Dr. Ernest F. Robinson. formerly head
surgeon in the Second Reserve HospiraI-
who has just left the army service is now
settled in Kansas City. Dr. Robinson dur
ing his service in the Philippines, it is said.
operated on more gunshot wounds than
any other surgeon. He gives an account
OF some of the most wonderful wounds as
follows:
There is something mysterious, almost
weird, In the direction and course of a
bullet. Certainly it often seems that the
missile is directed by strange and un-
seen force other than the man behind the
gun, his eye ard trigger
Probably there is no braver individual
or the face of the earth than the American
soldier. He is not coward. He is more
OFTEN 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 l will suffer
for it, but am going to be there just a lit
tie ahead, and he generally is. So he goes
INTO battle conscious of his danger. yet
with faith, born of courage, in his own
lucky star. And so his faith. or that un-
seen power called luck, protects him.
THE most remarkable gunshot wounds
these
very men, who knew not fear. - ter the
fight at Zapote river the hospital was
crowded with victims of gunshot wounds,
chiefly Mauser. One poor fellow, a cor
poral 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 shoul-
der, emerging at the back through the
shoulder blade. 1t had thus produced four
wounds of entrance and four of exit, and
had passed through his hand, arm. neck
and chest, and. despite all this, the plucky
fellow had walked back to the dressing
station. absolutely refusing to be carried.
He recovered without incident.
THE wound of the Mauser is generally
clean and generally antiseptic
There were quite a number of gun shot
wounds of the head involving the brain
substance that recovered. Peter Dunn of
the 10Th Kansas was perhaps the most
startling example, yet his case was by no
means unique. A poor fellow of the Mon
tanas was shot directly through the head
destroying completely the sight in both
eyes No more pitiful condition could be
imagined than he as the transport sailed
through the Golden Gate into home and
Gbd's own land. To hear and feel and
know that he was home at last vet to
Know that his home he would never see
death almost seemed preferable.
In fit of dependency because he had
not received a commission the sergeant
major of the 36th United States Volunteer
Infantry one day placed a 45-caiber re-
volver at the third interspace. just one
inch to the left of the sternum, and pulled
the trigger. The ball passed directly
through the chest, and emerged at the
back through the left shoulder blade How
his heart escaped is a mystery. A knife
nor even needle could have been passed
through in this locality without producing
instant death, and yet the boy recovered
Medical men whom l had told of lae case
would not believe such wound possible
without causing death until they had seen
1t. His organs were all in their normal
position, was shown by a careful exam
ination. yet the bullet had passed through
the chest. The most plausible explanat ton
for this would seem to be that the boys
heart was in his mouth when he was shot.
THE true explanation was that the ball
had passed just above the heart, razng
1t 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. Cen
eral Funston probably has the most re-
markable wound on record. During his
campaign in Cuba a Mauser bullet passed
directly through his chest from side to
| side, penetrating the lungs and passing
| through the tip or apex of his heart vel it
| did not kill him. The explanation Of this
| is that the ball grazed or passed through
| a portion of the muscle wall of the heart
| without penetrating it causing shock
| sufficient to produce death. Today the
| heart can be distinctly felt to pulsate be-
| meath the scar.
THE stout and hearty bugler of Light
| Battery F of the 5th Artillery is now sery-
ing with his battery in General Chafree's
| division in China. At Pantan Bridge he
was just sounding the advance when he
| fell to the ground. He had been strucl,
! In the right shoulder. The surgeon hastily