The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-02-23
Than That Of Others Accord.
ing To Expert
New York Times)

arms is OF special interest to the read
ing public at this time:
/. Because the recent improve.
| ments in armaments have brought
interesting changes in the source and
character of wounds.
2. In the case of lodged balls, and
| i'm bone injuries, the character of the
injury through the medium of X-ray
| evidence gives striking exhibit of
the wounded part.
3. A knowledge of first aid to the
| injured is so essential in these days of
| preventive medicine that modern civil
ization expects people generally be
come familiar with the causation of
war wounds, and the most effective
| of ameliorating suffering while one is
| in the presence of the wounded, in the
| absence of surgeon. With this end
in view every officer and soldier of the
line in all armies is taught first aid to
| the injured.
War wounds are mostly caused by
liEedllllS, WHiie lew, hOt eACeeuiIS %
| per cent, are caused by bayonets,
swords, lances. Wounds by firearms
| are inflicted by the so-called hand
| weapons, like the military rife, pistol,
revolver and the military arms.
In our Civil War so per cent of gun
shot wounds were inflicted by the hand
rifle, pistol and revolver; per cent by
artillery and about per cent by the
bayonet, sword and other cutting in
struments.
The rifle bullet caused the bulk of
wounds. 1t was elongated, conoidal in
shape, composed of soft lead, weighing
about 500 grains, and approximately q
half inch in diameter. Upon striking
hard bone this bullet generally became
| fiattened and lodged 1t carried shreds
| of clothing and particles of dirty skin
into the wound, which caused infiam-
| jority of those injured in the head and
body died on the field or soon thereaf-
| ter.
A large percentage of joint wounds
and fractures of the leg and arm ended
in blood poisoning, which existing
knowledge could not successfully ar
rest except by amputation. The per-
centage of lost limbs, which imposed
an additional burden on the state was
very large. The severity of the war
wounds at about that time has scarce
ly been exceeded since, and the NOR
tality incident to ignorance of the
causes of all kinds of virnlent infiam-
nation and the impotence Of the sur
geons to successfully combat their raw
ages made suffering and war mortali-
ty appalling. If we couple the casu-
alties of campaigns from wounds and
disease for this period we believe that
war is far less deadly now compared
to the conflicts in the middle of the
last century.
In the years preceding the improve
ment Of the military rifle which was so
we'll marked in the manufacture of the
chassepot of the French, which were
used in the Franco-Russian War of
1901, the English and all European
armies used explosive bullets in their
hand rifles when occasion required.
These bullets wer hollow, charged
with explosive materials and fitted
with percussion cap. They were u.s.
ed against the enemy in battle and
for the purpose of blowing up ammuni-
ton wagons. The wounds caused by
tn explosive projectiles when striking
resistant structures like the head or
compact bone in the body were neces-
sarily extensive and attended with
much laceration and destruction of It's
tues.
The improved rifles of the needle
gun and chassepot type, because OF the
added energy and velocity of their bull
lets, were also found to cause fright
full effects in wounds involving the
head, the long, hard bones of the ex
tremities and the internal organs con
tanning fluid or semi-fuid contents
The effects were like those of explos
i've bullets.
In 1868 the nations which had legal
lied the use of explosive bullets deem
ed that the progress of civilization
ought to have the effect Of lessenins
as much as possible the calamities ol
war, and with this object in view the
st. Petersburg International Militar,
Commission of that year, which wa.
composed of delegates from Govern
nlents using explosive bullets resolved
to forbid thereafter the use of all pro
jectiles charged with explosive or in
, flammable matrials of less weigh
than 400 grammes. In all wars sine,
the agreement of the st. Petersbur;
3 Commission the conflicting armies
4