The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-08-28
WAR MORE HUMANE
Army Sanitation and Surgery Are
Now Far Advanced.
Americans and Japanese Have Been
the lsaders-Modern Weapons
Have Much TO Do With
the Change
BY q U. 8. ARMY SURGEON.
international News Service.)


In the American Civil war eight SOL
diers died OF disease 10 one from
wounds. Experts expect that In the
present general European struggle not
more than three will fall victim 10
sickness TO one killed on the field of
battle.
Such is the advance OF army santa
ton and army surgery in 80 years.
The Americans and the Japanese have
been the leaders. The United States
army hospitals have installed many
remarkable innovations since the
Spanish-American war with its dread
ful lesson In the danger Of typhoid
and these new ideas have been adopt
ed by the army surgeons Of the old
world powers.
SO II is expected that the present
war, the greatest yet IN history. also
will be the most humane. There will
be no disproportionate mortality list
from disease and no army Of cripples
as an aftermath.
The modern high-power, Quick-frtng
military rifle and the development in
artillery will have much TO do with
the change.
Those who die will die more quick
ly. Gangrene and infection will be
practical unknown quantities. II is
thought.
Before the Russo-Japanese conflict
the armies the world over used a
high caliber bullet. made Of un-
sheathed lead and creased TO over
come friction In the barrel. The muz-
zle velocity was less than half that
Of the missiles now employed.
Then, too, bayonet and saber charges
were more common. These resulted
in hideous wounds, very difficult for
surgeons TO handle.
The bullets which are flying in Eu-
rope today are OF less diameter than
the ordinary lead pencil. They are
and have tremendous velocity.
The soft, mushrooming bullet OF
the old day resulted In the shatter-
Ing Of bones and the crushing, rather
than cutting, OF tissues. Infection was
almost inevitable, the grease being es-
pecially insanitary. A wound In the
abdomen was considered necessarily
fatal. The death rate among the
wounded was enormous.
In recent campaigns there are In
stances where soldiers shot In what
we're once considered vital spots have
walked unsupported to the field hos
pitfalls.
Germany uses a Mauser rife. with
a bullet OF nm. caliber, steel and
copper coated. Great Britain's mis-
sile is the Lee Enfield. caliber IL nm,
the coating being cupro-nickel. The
French weapon is the Lebel rife, Of
nm. caliber, with bullets coated with
nickel Russia uses Mossin-Nagant
rifles, caliber 1852 nm, with bullets
cupronickel coated. Austria's chief
small arm is the Mannlicher, caliber
nm, with steel sheet over the
tip Of the bullet
Hitting a man beyond $50 yards the
wounds inflicted by all these bullets
are clean cut They frequently pass
through bone tissue without splinter
ing. When meeting an artery the bull
let usually pushes II 10 one side and
goes around without cutting the blood
channel.
Amputations are very rare com.
pared with wars OF more than fifty
years ago. A bullet wound through
Joint, such as the knee or the elbow,
then necessitated the amputation OF
the limb. Now such a wound is cas-
lily opened and dressed.
Even Russia, which made sad
sanitary showing In the war with
Japan, now has learned her lesson and
has efficient surgical arrangements.
All the nations use vaccine TO com.
bat typhoid. the scourge which once
decimated camps and killed 1000 in
our Spanish war.
Next to typhoid. dysentery is the
great army scourge. This is attacked
By sterilizing the drinking water.