Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-07
EFFECTS OF BULLETS ON BODY
A "Msuser" Generally Goes Clear
Through Man If il Hits Him, Says
This Authority.

| lhrou9h Man ~ it hits Him, says
This Authority.
I am writing this paper to be read
before a society Of doctors It is not
for medical men unless they happen to
be sportsmen or gun cranks.
After the Spanish American war DR..
Sem wrote a book telling Of the effect
Of the (then) new high-power bullet
on the human being. The United
States army had recently adopted the
Krag-Jorgensen rifle, with its high
power steel-jacket, bullet, and sur
geons were anxious to know how 1t
would act. DR.. Senn's patients were
either shot with the 0-caliber Krag
or the somewhat smaller 7-mm. (equal
to .2S caliber) Mauser. Both were mill
tary bullets, 1. e., full metal jacketed.
During the Madero revolution in
Mexico his men were killed with all
kinds Of weapons, from the tiny nm.
Lee straight pull to the old-style so
caliber Remington lead bullet.
do not know how many wounded
treated during that revolution, but a
thousand would be placing the esti-
mate very low. Being a sportsman and
a gun crank, constantly found myself
specializing as to the caliber of the
bullet that made the particular wound
l happened to be treating. And soon
came to be tolerably expert in my
guesses. Unfortunately I was too busy
md had NOT tho onpnrfupity En- hoId
post -mortems on those who were kill
ed, else / would have learned much
more. My experience smashed sew
eral theories / had previously affirm
ed. discovered that the modern high
power military bullet is not always the
merciful thing I had heard 1t was. Up
to 800 yards it Is smasher. 1t does
not drill q neat hole in the bone and
pass on" by any means. Some Of the
worst cases Of shattered bones I had
were made by Mausers at close range,
while the abdomen or head wound at
such ranges Is invariably fatal do
not recall a single case where q SOL
dier received an abdominal or brain
wound from a Mauser at close range
and recovered. The bullet makes the
usual neat little hole" but the soft
tissues around 1t receive severe inju-
ries-due to the high velocity Of its
passage.
At ranges Of over 800 yards the
Mauser becomes bullet of mercy-if
there is any such thing. have seen
men shot squarely through the lungs
and It didn't stop them from smoking
cigarettes. An American machine gun
operator received such a wound and
never went to bed. remember one
battle, in which there were over doz-
en- lung wounds, and they all recover
ed. The metal jacketed bullets fired
from lower power guns, like the .30-30,
1903 and .32 special, made a clean cut
hole, similar to the Mauser and .30-40,
but were not so fatal at close range. /
have seen several cases where a Maus-
er bullet shattered the bone Of the up
per arm for distance Of two inches.
On the other hand can recall two
cases where IL bored small hole
through the angle Of the lower jaw
bone.
The Mauser bullets used were full
metal patched so I have not had an
opportunity Of observing the effects Of
a Mauser soft nose. The .30-40 soft
nose made the most wicked wound Of
any bullet used during the war. One
soldier was struck in the hand by one
Of these bullets and the member was
so shattered that amputation was nec-
essary Another carried away the en-
tire upper set of teeth, the upper lip
and an inch Of the tongue Of one poor
fellow. He nearly died Of hemorrhage
while being carried to the rear. The
.32-40, .32 special, 1856, soft nose were
nearly as bad in their effect. Next In
severity comes the .30-30, 1903 and cali
bers of that class. Being shorter In
range many Of the wounds made by
these bullets struck at long range and
failed to expand. OF course, the effect
was not 80 severe. The old "A Is inef-
fective at military ranges, and 1t was
not until the three days fight at Ciu-
dad Juarez MAY 8, 10 and 1D that
had an opportunity to observe wounds
made by this short range bullet. The
fighting was at close range-across the
street and from house to house-and
they were about as effective as any.
do not recall more than half a dozen
cases where the bullet was found i'm
bedded in the flesh, and these were fir
ed from either short-range guns or re-
volvers.
I have yet to find Mauser bullet re-
manning in the body Of man struck by
one They go through and pass into
the next country. A flesh wound from
a Mauser bullet is usually trivial af-
fair. The patients are out Of the hos
pital in a week or ten days. Some OF
them never go to the hospital to have
them treated. A round ball from a
shrapnel shell makes a very ugly
wound. Each shell contains from 200
to 800 round balls weighing about three
quarters Of an ounce, and when the
Shell eAplOutS tHeSc diC SSottCACo oaa
over the field in front. II the shell ex-
plodes directly overhead there Is no
danger, but If in front Of column Of
men several Of them are sure to be hit.
The soft nose bullet fired from pistol
does not expand for the reason that
there is not sufficient velocity.
All in all, the wounds most to be
dreaded in battle are those through the
abdomen. In civil life the mortality Is
not so great, for the reason that the
patient can be got to the hospital and
operated on at once. In war this can
not be done, as it is generally from 10
to "a hours before they reach the gen.
eraI hospital The Mexicans do not
have a we'll equipped hospital corps
with their army, and the first aid work
is done under the most unfavorable
surroundings. Some days elapse be-
fore the wounded receive medical at
tention It is no uncommon thing to find
patients who have been wounded three
or four days and who have not had