Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-02-04
SURGERY MAKES
WAR LESS FATAL
Wounded May BE Saved Tn.
less Vital Member
is Struck

BERLIN. Feb. 3.-Nothing less
than a bullet through the heart. the
head or an important artery Is sure
10 bring death In the wars OF to-
day. Abdominal wounds. involving
even manifold ponetrations OF the
intestines. show a surprising per
centage OF recovery. and little Is 20
be feared from thoraclc wounds that
d onot modest big arteries or tho
heart. What used 10 be- known as
gangrene has virtually disappeared.
aud oaiy In rare instances does pus
form at all. When II does II Is pri-
rnarily due TO neglect or 10 unskill.
fn handling by surgeons.
These conclusions are set forth In
az article by Professor Frank Col
merS. OF Coburg. who took charge OF
the hospitals Ia Sofia AZ the request
NJ King Ferdinand upon the break
ing out OF the Wal In the Balkans.
Two things have brought about the
improvements over the days when
n wound OF the limbs meant ampu-
tation and penetration OF the nbdO-
mcn was nearly always fatal One
In. Of course, the great advance OF
sseptic surgery. The other Is the
form. constitution and velocity Of
the modern proiectile. Except at
extremely close range within 100
yards. where the bullet OF the armies
Of today tears a hole bigger than a
mans hand at the point Of exit-the
projcctile ordinarily bores a neat
hole through It's victim. Further
more. II is rendered aseptic by the
heat generated by its high velocity,
and u carries no PARTICLES Of cloth
ing into the canal Of the wound
The wound h therefore absolutely
germ free. aud u properly bandaged
with sterilized bandages II develops
no pus DR.. Colmers. who served In
the japanese hospitals during the
I,usSo-Japancse war. warns against
tampOning wounds TO check hem
orrhage Wherever this course was
followed and a great many Bull
garisn surgeons followed it-infec-
ton resulted.
" Is interesting 10 note that the
proper treatment for gunshot wounds
puncturing the intestines appears to
h. no treatment AZ all The most
favorable recoyeries. says DR.. Col
mers. we're recorded In the cases OF
men who. shot through the abdo-
mer. had been missed and allowed
80 lie on the field for two or three
days. With nothing to eat and with
out being moved He recommends
that arrangements should be made
hereafter to care for these men
where they lie and leave them there
until the p%unctured intestines have
had q chance 10 start healing nat
,waily.
A point OF especial interest for
Germany lies IN the fact that the
war In the Balkans is the first time
the proiectiles now used In German
army rifles have been used In actual
comba, The Turks are employing
these bullets They consist of a
steel Jacket loaded with lead. They
vary. however. from those used In
most other armies in that. instead
~ having an oval nose. they are de-
cidedly pointed. The center OF grav-
Nv OF the round-nosed proiecticle is
nearly In the middle. but that of the
pointed bullet is nearer the base. As
a,result " has a tendency, only over
come by the twist impaired by the
rifiing and by its great velocity. to
chanee ends In flight TO "%keyhole."
as II is expressed The instant the
nose meets resistance this potential
ny Is converted into effective action.
the bullet turns in the wounds chan
net. aud the result is both O. more
extensive implication of tissues and
the frequent lodging OF the bullet