Omaha daily bee., 1914-12-05
SHRAPNEL WOUNDS SERIOUS
Balls Garry Fragments Of Clothing
and Germs Into Body.
BONE FRAeMENTs PENETRATE
simple wounds from rifle Bullets
Heal Most Rapidly OF All, Says
Surgeon General OF the
saxon Army.

Correspondence OF the Associated Press)
BERLIN, Nov. 25.-The German sur
geons have begun TO talk about their ex-
perience 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 adj
dress at one OF the improvised hospitals
on the line Of the German communities
tons. In which he gave much interesting
information on this subject.
Payr pointed out that the balls used in
shrapnel shells produce much more dan
gerous wounds than rifle bullets. They
carry into the body fragments of cloth
ing. a corresponding quantity OF danger
Gus germs; and they are much more
likely TO be lodged IN the body. There
was suppuration In 70 tn 70 per cent of
cases. The same danger is still more
serious with wounds from fragments OF
shells. II was found. too, that this war
has been especially marked by the great
number Of such wo1nds Not OILY do
shell-fragments carry germs into the
body with bits Of clothing. but the dan
gerous gases from shrapnel explosion
often adhere TO the fragments and balls
In sufficient quantities TO poison the
wound Lock-jaw is often produced by
wounds OF this character, but by vac
cinating patients with a tetanus serum
the German surgeons have materially re-
duced the ratio of deaths I'm such cases
since the first weeks OF the war
Epecially 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 or
binary shells. These email fragments
penetrate 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
frequently cause bad burns.
Rifle wounds Heal Quickly.
So far as simple flesh wounds from
small caliber rifles are concerned. Payr
found that these heal very rapidly. In
most cases the wounded were able to re-
turn 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
I by the sharp steel arrows thrown at great
heights by French aeroplanists. These
arrows have about .he thickness OF an
ordinary lead pencil, and when thrown
from height OF about 5000 feet strike
their victim at the velocity. of bullet
just leaving the muzzle of a rifle. Payr
says they produce very dangerous
wounds.
| DR.. Payr declares that the small bullet
badly skaters the hollow bones of the
arm and leg when striking them at short
distances. but that at greater distances
they tend more to pore a smooth hole,
with little or no fracturing Bones near
the Joints are shot through smoothly,
and the wounds heal with no difficulty.
Another effect of the present type of
bullet "a to cut through the blood
vessels, whereas they would often be
pushed inside by the older lead bullet and
escape disruption. This Is regarded by
IPayr as one dangerous result OF ,la sll.,.l
caliber bullet. especially where veins and
arteries are cut through deep In the
| flesh.
Wounds in the abdomen, says Payrs.
are most likely to heal without an opera
tion than with one, ana this, me says.
was first proved In the Boer war. The
difficulty in the way of an operation is
that II is almost impossible to take the
necessary artiseptic precautions.