The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-11-28
MORE DEADLY THAN BULLETS
Are Balls in Shrapnel Shells, as They
Carry Fragments Into Body.
lCorrespondenee OF the Associated Press

Saity fragments into bouy.
Correspondence Of the Associated Press
Berlin, Nov. 2s.--The German surgeons
have begun 10 talk about their expert
ence in healing the wounded in this war
Prof. Payr OF Leipsic university, who is
acting as surgeon general TO the Saxon
army, recently delivered an address at
one of the improvised hospitals on the
line of the German communications, in
which he gave much interesting informa.
ton on this subject.
Payr pointed out that the balls used
in shrapnel shells produce much more
dangerous wounds than rifle bullets.
They carry into the body fragments Of
clothing, corresponding quantity Of
dangerous germs and they are much
, more likely to be lodged in the body.
There was suppuration in 10 to rs per
cent of cases. The same danger is still
more serious with wounds from frag-
ments OF shells. II was found, too, that
this war has been especially marked by
the great number of such wounds. Not
only do shell fragments carry germs into
tic body with bits of clothing, but the
dangerous gases from the shrapnel ex-
plosion often adhere to the fragments
and balls in sufficient quantities to pois-
on the wound. Lockjaw is often pro-
duced by wounds of this character; but
by vaccinating patients with tetanus
serum, the German surgeons have mate
rally reduced the ratio of deaths in such
cases since the first weeks of the war.
Especially dangerous are the wounds
caused by fragments of bombs thrown
by aviators. Even very small fragments
often produce much more dangerous
wounds than much larger pieces of ordi.
nary shells. These small fragments pen.
citrate very deep into the body, cutting
through all blood vessels; and thick
masses of muscle are cut through as with
a sharp knife. Aeroplane bombs also
cause bad burns.
So far as simple flesh wounds from
small calibre rifles are concerned, Payr
found that these heal very rapidly. In
most cases the wounded were able to |
return to the ranks within a week or |
two. Even in cases of chest wounds,
where the ribs are not touched, healing |
is usually very rapid, even though the
lungs be penetrated.
A new kind of wound has been caused /
by the sharp steel arrows thrown at
great heights by French aeroplanists.
These arrows have about the thickness
II an ordinary lead pencil, and when
brown from a height of about 5000
eet strike their victim at the velocity
4 bullet just leaving the muzzle of
life. Payr says they produce very dan
erous wounds.
DIR. Payr declares that the small bull
ct badly skaters the hollow bones of
: m and leg when striking them at short
distances but that at greater distances
hey tend more to bore smooth hole,
nth little or no fracturing. Bones near
he joints are shot through smoothly, |
the wounds heal with no difficulty. |
ILother effect of the present type of
ulet is to cut through the blood yes
els, whereas they would often be pushed
side by the older lead bullet and escape
isruption. This is regarded by Payr as
ne dangerous result Of the small calibre II
ullet, especially where veins and ar
.ries are cut through deep in the flesh.
Wounds in the abdomen, says Payr,
re most likely to heal without an OPP
-ation than with one; and this, he says, n
as first proved in the Boer war. The z
ifflculty in the way of an operation is
rat II is almost impossible to take the il
eegsarV antispptic precalltions la