Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-20
from firearms during that period wer

=
counted as confused wounds.
Moreover, lead is a very soft and easily
broken metal 1t happened, therefore.
| that the bullet, on striking the resting
object, and particularly bone would be
deformed, becoming fattened or break
ing up into fragments. In these cases
its useful effect was reduced notably, IL
rot entirely lost Undoubtedly the de-
structive power of the projectie might
be increased for an instant when the de-
formation or augmentation took place
in the aesh-as. for instance. in the case
of the "dum-dum" bullets which were
feared so nruclI-but the role of the bullet
was finished. for by that very fact IL had
lost in the main its force, precision and
penetrating power.
| Although the old spherical leaden bullet
was the most ill-conceived and defective
| that could be imagined. it was only to-
ward the second half OF the last century
| that efforts We're made to change the
form At first the fiaIneter OF. the bull
| let's was reduced. owing to the fact that
the resistance of the air Increases in pro-
| portion to the diameter of the projectile
retain Il sufficient weight the power OF
wounding being in proportion To the
projeetile s mass. they were heightened
at the same time. Thus. instead of a,
| sphere the bullet took the form of q
cylinder except the anterior portion.
which gradually WAS made more point
| ed
| Until quite recent Years the point
vas bIunt or rounded and the bali in
| its entirety was clyinaro2ogival. the
objec: being to assure the stability of
| its axis in the rotary movement given
to IT by the grooves of the rifle bar
rel. In other projectiies the cone was
truncated. BY these means the effect
of the air resistance was noticeably in
creased, while tho advantage was an
IllGSory one. Consequently, mere re-
Gently there has been no hesitation in
making the bullet pointed in front.
This is the case withpthe French bullet.
| terrnedithe 1891 d bullet and the 1907
German pro iectile.a called. the S.fibu4let.
IFnTho German bulletis formed of lead
hardened with .antinoffv. and issfov-
ered1with steel Jacket. The French
projectile, entirely nf ilation," without
covering, is not inferior to the German
from the point of view of destructive
effect. On one hand. rieoehets bend
back the point and make it a veritab bic
fishhook as it enters the body. On the
other. instead of striking straight and
making "a round hole, 1t often strikes
sideways, and then the wound has a
very large orifice The French bullet
has a longer range than the German
1t attains 4.400 meters; but for 500
| meters 1t may be said that the trajec-
tory of the two bullets is the same.
| OF course many conditions count
| in the gravity of bullet wounds.
1t is known that the terrible eff
feets of such wounds noted by the
American surgeons in the fighting on
the rocks OF San Juan de Cuba were
the result of the numerous ricochets of
the bullets, and the case was the same
at Spion Kop, in the Transyaal War.
If. as Mr.. Demostehn, the Roumanian
out OF three fired. it is easy to conceive
how this risk renders the prognosis
worse Another serious condition to be
noted is the fact that the projeetile
NAV carry into the wound fragments
of dirty clothing laden with microbes,
which will infect the wound.
| Certain surgeons have thought that
the balls heated by friction With the
| grooves of the rife barrel, are cieansed
| and aseptized when they strike. This
is rot quite exact, since it seems GER
tain that the temperature of the pro-
iectile does not exceed IS degrees cen
tigrade and that 10 degrees cent?
grade would be required TO destroy all
the microbes Chicago Record-Her-
aid.