The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-10-09
THE DUNfDUM BULLET.

Dumdum ullets have been freely
discussed in many Of the war reports.
but exceedingly few people know what
this term means, or whence the name
was derived. This is explained In an
article in the war issue Of the Scien-
tific American, together with other in
teresting information relating to the
subject.
During the Chitral campaign in In
dia, in 1898, the native troops found
that the nickel jacketed lead bullets
they were using were not as effective
as they wished; that is, they did not
stop" their man. They found the
difficulty could be overcome by par
TALLY stripping of the nickel jacket
and exposing the leaden head. These
bullets, because they came from the
Dumdum Ammunition Works, at Cal
cutta, were known as "dumdums"
They became greatly distorted when
striking soft body, spreading out
into something like q mushroom shape
and producing a very serious wound.
This is the trua dumdum bullet. It
will be appreciated that, as in the In
dian campaign, the bullet can be cas-
lily prepared by any soldier individual
ly, without the knowledge of his SUI
periors: and II such bullets have been
used in the present war, this is their
undOubted source.
Under many conditions, when the
high-speed. small-caliber bullet used
in modern rifles strikes a man. It
makes an exceedingly small puncture,
and passes through both bone and It's
sue alike. with trifiing injury. AL
though the man is incapacitated for
the time being. he suffers no perma-
nent injury. This is what was aimed
at when the small caliber rifle was
adopted. Unfortunately, the bullet
does not always act in this way, for
the so-called "Spitz" bullet, which has
been introduced in Germany and
adopted by several other countries,
behaves in most uncertain manner.
Being quite short and conical and
with a gradual taper, the center of
gravity is thrown back near the base.
Consequently. it is very liable to be
disturbed in its flight, when 1t turns
sideways. Instead OF making the
small, clean-cut perforation expected,
it tears its way through the tissues,
making terribly lacerated wound
very similar to that which would be
produced by a dumdum.
Another kind Of wound which is
! not infrequent is the one that appears
| to have been made by an explosive
bullet, but is only another effect OF
| the high velocity bullet. which Is well
known but probably not thoroughly
understood. One explanation is that
by its tremendously rapid translation
both through the gun barrel and the
air, the bullet is set in vibration, and
the effects it will have upon the tissue
Of the human living body will be rel.
| alive to the capability or incapacity
of the tissues to take up and transmit
the vibration or wave motion. Thi.
can be better understood from an ex.
| pertinent made in studying the sub.
ject. A tomato can was filled will
water and the bullet fired through 1t
The entrance hole was small and al
/ most as II cut out by 9 punch, and
the edges but slightly inverted. Will,
the exit hole was an inch and one
half across and very irregular. More
/ over, the front end was badly bulget
out. the rear end torn nearly loose
and the sides partially collapsed. Tn,
indications were that the pressure O.
forces acted after the bullet haa
passed through the can and as a vi
bration or wave would act
Il Many wounds of the characte
II above noted have been observed h
the past. and 1t is evident that the ap
parently small and humanitarian bull
let. now almost universally used Il