The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-03
Military Surgeons Face Difficulties of
Treating Injuries, the Like of Which
Thew Have Never Seen Before

through pipe, IL Ia this same action
/ that liz induced bv the bullet STRIKING
the fluid or the semi-fiuid substance
, the measure Of the impact or the speed
OF the projectlle determining the serI.
BUSINESS Of the injury. Prof. Laurent
says that he has seen the head Of
soldier actually burst open and the
brains scattered by a single modern
rife bullet.
But while this steel covered tapered
proJectle can do an enormous amount
Of harm the fact remains that II can
/ also put man out OF action effectively
and yet make his wound such that I:
will heal quickly For Instance, this
bullet viii bore its way clearly through
bone when going at it's higher veloc!tles
Just like a drill, and these injuries II
! promptly attended to by the soldier
! himself or a companion will give but
! little subsequent trouble from medical
standpoint.
| Every fighting man to-day in a civil
lied army Is supplied with a first aid
packet. II he will but apply this
promptly in accordance with the in
| structions he will prevent infection OF
the hurt and the wound will heal OF
frs; intention. As a matter OF fact the
Russians reported that about SO per
: cent OF their wounded because the
japanese bullet was more humane, were
returned to the fighting line inside OF
! one month. or course II is perfectly
! clear that the use Of the first aid packs,
figured largely in the speed OF recovery
by preventing infection OF the wounds.
This incidentally lessened the crowds in
the hospitals. and to that extent re-
! ha OH f,1
and allied diseases.
The staggering losses already reported
from Europe bear out the fact that
there is a woful lack of humaneness
in modern warfare, and unquestionably
the greater measure of bodily damage
has been inflicted by the artillery and
not the rifle Of the foot soldier.
| The type OF projectile used in the field
gun for the attack OF infantry is prl-
marily what is known as shrapne a
thin bodied shell loaded with lead balls
and a sufficient charge of explosive TO
scatter them broadcast when the pro-
jectile eXpIodes. These bullets infct
extremely severe wounds and cause the
greatest measure OF destruction OF both
the hard and the soft tissues OF the
body. Their power TO damage is some
| what akin to that of the old blunt nosed
rifle bullet and in this respect there Is
! certainly no gain in the direction OF
humaneness.
During the Russo Ja panese war there
was an extraordinarily large proportion
. OF wounded by artillery fire. AS one
observer expressed 1t speaking of the
effects OF the Japanese fire. "The havoc
wrought by their artillery can only be
recalled with a SILVER. The wounds
caused were terrible and usually fatal"
| According to Prof. Laurent, It seems
that more than half OF the fatal injuries
suffered during the Balkan campaign
We're the consequence OF artillery fire.
| The field guns Of the French Germans
and Belgians have figured conspicuously
| in all of the battles so far reported and
we are just beginning to hear Of the
| work done by the British artillery
Never before in the annals OF civilized
warfare have weapons OF this sort been
employed in such great numbers. nor
have they been brought to bear against
similar large masses of troops.
No wonder they have slaughtered tho
belligerents by the thousands, and those
not killed constitute the problem for
the military surgeon. The soldiers
first aid packet is not so likely to an
sWer here as protective measure
against Infection as in the case of the
wound from small arm bullets, mainly
because the injury or injuries are apt
10 be OF a graver and possibly OF a
larger nature.
Now we come to the second phase OF
the question for the military surgeon
that OF properly asserting the wounded
and distributing them where they can
|
hamper the mobility of the fighting
force. Heretofore there has been a
woful measure Of confusion, and the
field hospitals have been overcrowded
with the injured OF all degrees and
this has not only hampered the over
worked doctors but II has occasioned
neglect where promptness alone meant
the saving of life. Therefore IL may be
, of especial interest To us now to UNDER
stand how one of the bellgerents Is
meeting this very problem. and we pur-
pOsely take that OF Germany because
, her army has been on the aggressive
from the very start and her task, for
that reason, has been a particularly
, heavy one.
The regulations for the German army
divides the medical staff into two prime
departments; one having to do with the
receiving and asserting of the wounded.
! while the second limits its function TO
| active minstraton OF the field and the
base hospitals. The wisdom OF this
labor saving system will be apparent
in moment As soon as the injured
Z man is brought back from the firing
e line he Is at once examined by a med
I cal officer and. according to the nature
OF his wound, he is classified and duly
tagged.
9 II the man can walk, his hospital
r badge i plain white ticket, and this
: given to all those too, that are suf-
: icicntly protected already by the first
2 aid bandage and who need but trlflng
- attention to start them on the way 10
= recovery These men are promptly
n treated by the physicians of the receiv-
: ing staff,
= The next class ar those that are so
= wounded that 1t IL necessary to trans
S port them and yet whose injuries are II
n such nature that they can be carried
3 all the way back either TO the army
= base hospital or on further to kindred
a institutions. These men are given white