The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-12
STUDY OF GuNSHoT WOUNDS.
Some Light Thrown on the Presi-
dents Case.

Some Light Thrown ON the ANCst-
dents Case.
From the New York Evening Post.
Washington, Sept. while the
prospects of President McKinley's re-
covery constitute a medical question.
upon which no one away from the bed
side is really competent to express an
opinion. the bureaus of the War De-
partment are in possession or some
very interesting facts relating to the
mortality of bullet-wounds under MOD
ern conditions of treatment, which
throw some indirect light on the sub
iect. II should, of course, be borne in
mind that any arm fired at very short
range has an; explosive effect, not that
it does explode, but that the jar 1t
gives the substance into which IL en-
tiers resembles that produced by an eX-
plosion. Tests of firing into tin can
filled with various substances atssnort
range reveal that. But aside from this
short-range explosive jar, the mana
pistol is a much less dangerous weap-
on than the rifles of modern warfare
1t is not believed that the bullets
which entered the President had
muzzle velocity of more than 600 feet,
whereas the velocity of the smaller
arms used in warfare is from three to
four times as great. Hence, in COM
pairing bullet effects observed IN large
numbers of cases in the surgical hos
pitfalls with what may be expected OF
Buffalo, it will be seen that there Is
much, on general principles. IN the
Presidents favor.
The war in South Africa has furnish
ed vast amount of interesting surgi-
cal experience, showing the effect OF
modern arms and of antiseptic methods
In the hopitals. While it is too early
to draw deductions from the statistics
of the war, it is worthy of note that
when the records were kept OF l2,6S7
officers and men who have been wound
ed, only 1872 died of wounds received in
action. This small majority is attriD-
uted to the, prompt application OF a
first-aid dressing, but in respect 10
promptness, the Presidents treatment
far exceeds anything that was possi-
bic in a battle hospital. The action OF
the Mauser bullet upon human tissues
depends upon the range at which 1t IS
fired. Within 200 yards ii has an ex-
plosive character. The nickel case
seems to expand and become detached
causing a severe, lacerated, and con-
fused wound which heals very slowly,
If it strikes bone it brushes and de-
stroys it. If fired at a longer range
II makes clean drilled hole through
bone, while If it strokes soft parts
Of the body. and a small wound Is
made, there being but little difference
between the place of entrance of the
bullet and it's exit, which bleeds but
little, unless an important vessel is in
jured.
1t is remarkable how few amputa-
tons have been performed during the
Boer war. DR.. Kendall Franks has re-
ported that in. his experience not more
than twenty amputations had occurred
IN 5000 cases. which is attributed 70
the conservative spirit of present day
surgery. DIR. Sterling =Ryerson relates
that he saw at Kimberley l47 wounded
Beers In d roller, rink (which had. been
converted into a temporary hospital
They Were OF all ages. from fifteen TO
sixty-five. They had been wounded at
Paardeburg. and IN many Gases the
wounds had been undressed for from