Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-12
HEAVY CARNAGE
TO Be EXPECTED
Famous European Surgeons
Report on Balkan Struggle
Gives Comparison.
MILLION THE FIRST MONTH
Proportion of Killed to Wounded in
Modern Warfare Is High, Due
TO Use Of Artillery.

That million and half men would
be killed or wounded in the first month
CT active conflict involving the great
armies of Europe is the striking fore
cast which comes from a European
surgeon whose position in the world
OF medical science gives his opinion
peculiar authority. says the Boston
Transcript. This view is presented by
Dr. Octave Laurent. surgeon OF st.
Johns hospital. in Brussels, who fol-
lowed the troops in the Balkans for IL
months, and has now issued in Paris
q volume on the war in Bulgaria and
Turkey. which is essentially a treatise
ca military wounds and surgery. The
work presents the latest evidence on
the destructiyeness of modern land
armanents. Its forecasts are entitled
10 special respect for two reasons. One
reason rs that they are merely Incl
dental to the main purpose of the vol
ume. which is the description and dis
cussion of modern military srgery.
The author presents his figures almost
as casual conclusions forced on his
attention by the facts he has had to
deal with for his main purpose. The
ether reason is that Laurent is sur
geon of high standing in Europe, au- !
thor of a work on clinical surgery now
in its third edition. and is a member
of many foreign medical societies. His
statements are to be given the same
weight as the "by-the-way" remark |
in a paper by the late Weir Mitchell, |
who Gays that in his experience in the |
civil war hospitals near Philadelphia !
the extreme rarity of bayonet wounds !
quite discredited in his mind the ira |
ditlonal horrors of the cold steel"
BuIsaris's Losses.
Bulgaria put into the ss:c during the
two wars more than 100000 soldiers, !
drawn from a population q about A.
500. 900. In the first war 10000 men
we're killed and about $4,000 were !
" rounded In the second war the kill
I'd numbered 10000. and the wounded
about G2.OOO. The totals for the two
wars were: Killed. 10000: wounded.
$4,000. This total of killed and
wounded. 1G1 900. represented one
-hird of the effective force of the whole
,rnny. or per cent of the entire pop
llation of the country. The deaths
we're one in twelve of the whole army.
3ne in four of the wounded, and one
Il a hundred of the population. Dur
ug the month of July. 1913, says Lau-
ent. $50 900 men were killed or wound
d On both sides, and more than half
> these. at least $4,000. fell on the
,anks OF the Bregalnitza during the
tx DAYS from June 30 to July >. What
hese figures mean. for the losses in
war between the great powers of
Europe is indicated by Laurent in his
uot.ng with approval the statement
2 another commentator on these fig
res, who says:
A Comparative Estimate. Z
IF you put 2 zero behind each of
hese numbers you will have some idea ,
Z the effective strength of the armies {
nd the losses that must be presumed ]
D take place in any war which would
1norrow set the armed forces of any
To first class powers of Europe on
ne fighting line before each other
here would be not less than 100000 5
cad and wounded IN the course OF
he first month.
z hat these grim figures gre within )
10 bounds OF reason seems likely from
re fact that the conditions of conflict
! a great European war would be
those OF the Balkan wars. I
arge masses OF troops would be in ,
ontinuors close touch, and rife and ,
fire would be at least as de- !
tructive as in the conflict last year.
the suggested million and a half OF {
,sualtios par month did not actually
cc1Ir, there is no reason TO suppose
Ia: the percentage of killed and
ounded to the forces engaged in il
rye battles would he materially low b
than I'm the Balkan wars c
The high proportion OF the killed TO c