The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-03

headed leaden bullet has given way to
| the steel or nickel jacketed bullet filled
with lead and finished with a long
| taperlng point. This Is the so-calleo
! humane projectlle' OF modern warfare,
| and II Is undoubtedly true that this
| bullet makes under some circumstances
a smaller wound and cleaner one-the
proJectlle piercing a man through and
through without producing the explo-
| sive or shattering effect OF the blunter
| nosed leaden AFFAIR OF other days.
within some limits this is naturally
| to be expected. because the thinner
sharper missile travelling at a much
| higher velocity. makes it's way through
the body substance with less difficulty
and accordingly, with a reduced area
OF injury when sweeping on upon
straight line. II seems, however. that
| this humane projectile can act in a
! thoroughly barbaric fashion.
| "Col La Garde OF the Medical Corps
! OF the United States army has made
/ special study of this subject and his
! conclusions point to the proba bility OF
| graver and more desperate wounds from
this very bullet basng his findings
upon what he believes to be a tendency
] Ou llt par VI AIlt AdDti GU HllSSllF "
| tumble in flight. BY tumbling the
military man means the spinning OF the
bullet about its short axis instead of
rotating upon its long axis and holding
its point steadily foremost
"You can see what this means in the
| case of the present longer projectile.
! The moment 1t begins to tumble 1t pre-
sents n larger mass when striking an
obstacle in its path and instead of pierre
| ing this body like needle II enters and
tears It's way through something after
the fashion OF a whirlng wheel! In his
contention Col. La Garde is not without
a goodly measure Of supporting facts
According to the statistics Of two OF
/ our medical observers during the Russo
! Japanese war, there were IL per cent.
more Russians killed than troops Of the
Mikado, but on the other hand the
japanese wounded amounted TO IL per
| cent. more than those in the Cars
| forces. At first blush this seemed 10
be due to the difference in the character
OF small arms used by the contending
nations. Col. John Van II. Hoff, L. S.
, A., put this question in his official re-
| port: els 1t possible that the 7.60 nm.
cupro nickel jacketed bullet of the Rus
slams which weighs 1871 grams and has
! an initial velocity of $40 meters, Is more
humane than the $50 nm. German sill
yer jacketed bullet OF the japanese,
weighing 10.5 grams, with an initial
velocity Of 725 meters? This can be
answered in the affirmative IL to kill is
considered more humane than to
awound." But Assistant Surgeon-Gen-
eral Hor gives more suggestive infor-
nation in the following quotation from
report by the chief surgeon Of the
Russian forces at Liaoyang:
"The experience mere convinced me
that the japanese rifles are better than
our own. The range OF this weapon is
very great. Within 200 meters, al
though the track of the bullet Is small,
| the wounds were very fatal owing to
| the explosive effects, there being extern
| sive shattering Of bone or in the abdo-
men tearing OF intestines. At longer
ranges. 400 TO 500 meters, the wounds
were less serious. Except in abdominal
| LESSONS the wounds inflicted by the Jap
anese rifle healed quickly. Even in
abdominal cases with severe decorations
OF the intestines several patients recov-
cred
Wounds of the lungs were usually
of less serious nature, particularly
those received at the higher ranges.
Beyond 900 meters the bullet disinte-
grated and the wounds OF entrance and
exit were considerably larger than the
channel made by the missile in its
course through the tissues and bones
were seldom shattered"
This would seem to bear out Col. La
Garde's idea about the tumbling of the
projectile, especially with the decrease
OF velocity due to longer flight.
But the modern bullet Is more de-
structive in that 1t is capable of killing
and wounding more men, bullet for bull
let and this is due to the extremely
high velocity with which the missile OF
the modern infantryman's rifle goes
upon its destructive errand.
The Balkan war gave the military
world a lot OF food for thought and
Prof. octave Laurent has published the
fruits Of his experiences among the
Balkan armies during the better part
OF a year. At a range OF 1000 feet the
modern bullet will pierce three mer
standing one behind the other; and al
distance OF substantially 5000 feet
just little short of a mile, the small
arm proJectile will go right through one
man. a little further off the missile viii
pass completely through the hea !. max
ing clean wounds at the points OF en-
trance and exit, such is its pent up en-
ergy at that range, and at a distance O.
II, 4S3 feet, more than two miles tn
modern bullet will cause grave II no
fatal wounds in the abdominal region.
While Col. La Garde holds the pres
a.,t do h,,11 OF 70 10 do,
than it's bigger and blunter predecesso
because Of It's tendency TO tumble Prof
Laurent attributes its greater destruc
tveness to other causes. He finds tn
e so-called humane" bullet OF to-day in
y clined to produce more CHARITY wound
because OF its explosive effects, Whel
q passing through flesh or soft tissue
y, this is not especially noticeable, mas
u much as the missile remains substan
2 TALLY intact, but when the projectle
y abruptly arrested in its passage, the
{ the comparatively plastic lead burst
. it's coAtainer, the steel jacket, and shat
= tiers the bones and tears the flesh in
- most distressing way The bullet unde
n these circumstances is not singl
: body, but scattering mass OF de
: structive fragments
n OF course the nature of the woun