Bisbee daily review., 1913-02-02
Nothing Less Than a Bullet Through Heart, Head Or Important Artery Is Sure to Bring Death in Wars of Today.
INTESTINAL WOUNDS
 NOT so SERIOUS
No Treatment is Cure for Abdominal Wounds, Pa tientS Should Be Treated Where They Fall Until Healing Is Started.

BERLIN, Feb. l.--Nothine less than a bullet through the heart. the head or an important artery is sure 70 bring death in the wars today. Ab- dominal wounds, involving even mani fold penetrations of the intestines show a surprising percentage of re- coyery. and little is to be reared from thoracic wounds that do not mo lest big arteries or the heart. What used to be known as gangrene has virtually disappeared, and only in rare instances does pus form rat all When lt does 1t is primarily due to neglect or 10 unskillful handling by surgeons.
 These conclusions are set forth n an article by Professor Frank Col mers, of Coburg, who took charge Of the hospitals in Sofia at the request Of King Ferdinand upon the breaking out of the war in the Balkans Two things have brought about the i'm proyement over the days when any wound of the limbs meant amputa- tion and penetration of the abdomen was nearly always fatal. One is, )f, course. the great advance Of aseptic' surgery. The other is the form. con stiution and velocity Of the modern proiectile. Except al extremely close range-within 100 yaTds. where the bullet of the armies of today tars 8 hole bigger than mans hand al the point of exit the projectile ordinarily Bores a neat hole through its victim. Furthermore, il is rendered aseptic by the heat generated hy it's high ye locity, and it carries no particles Of clothing into the canal Of the wound The wound is therefore absolutely germ-free. and if properly bandagcd with steTiliZed baBdages it develops no puS. Dr. COlmers, who served m the Japanese hospitals during the Rus so-japanese War warns against tam poning wounds 10 check hemorrhag5 Wherever this course was followed and a great many Bulgarian surgeons followed it-iniectiOn resulted.
 IL is interesting 10 note that the proper treatment for gunshot wounds puncturiRg the intestines appears ,o be no treatment at all. The most flaw OTable recOyeries, says Dr. COlmers, were recorded in the cases Of men W ho. shot through the abdomen had been missed and allowed to lie on the field for two or three days, with nOth- ing to eat and without being moved. He recommends that arrangements should be made hereafter to care for these men where they lie and leave them there until the punctured intss- tines have had a chance to start heal ing naturally
 4 point of especial interest for Ger many lies in the fact that the war in the Balkans is the first time the pro jectiles now used in the German army rifle have been used in actual combat The Turks are employing these bullets. The consist Of a steel jacket loaded with lead They vary. however, from those used in most oth- CT armies in that, instead of having an oval nose, they are decidedly pointed. The center of gravity of the round nosed projectile is nearly in the mid de. but that of the pointed bullet is nearer the base. As a result it has A tendency. only overcome by the twist imparted by The rifling and by it's great velocity, to change ends in flight. to "keyhole. as it is. express ed. The instant the nose meets re- sistance this potentiality is converted into effective action, the bullet turns in the wounds channel, and the re- sult is both a more extensive implics- ton of tissues and the frequent lods- ing Of the bullet in the body, making later operative interference necessary Another noteworthy effect Is that the bullet. in thus turning, very regularly is stripped, the jacket separating eN- pIosively from the core and minute Garticles of both jacket and lead iavad- ing the entire region of the wound. This naturally leads to infection and sepis. T2ie pointed bullet apitears also to penetrate arteries more often than the round nosed projectile. which often pushes them aside with little damage. In all these respects, there fore, it may be considered a less hu- mane projectiIe than the other.
 Shrapnel wounds remain the most dangerous. although fortunately the least frequent The projectiles rarely have enough velocity to penetrate the body. and therefore generally remain in the woand. Moreover. they regular lv convex pieces of clothing or hair into the body. and the result is ire oueRfIy tefanus and death.