South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-05
BY James j. Walsh. VI. d.

Physicians and surgeons. in the
countries not at war have been very
much interested TO know the details
OF the care Of the wounded, or whom
mere nave been so many in the last
Few months. and the authentic infOr-
nation finally IS available. 1t proves
10 GO quite as interesting for the gen.
era1 public in many ways as for the
medical profession. Until now the
surgeons most occupied in the war
nave Deen too busy 20 write much, but
now they are settling down to the rou-
tine Of their work and, recognizing
that their experience may be a benefit
10 others, are taking pains 10 give il
publicity. Besides. inspectors reports
have been made available as regards
hospital conditions and the general
state OF the wounded, and these give a
vivid picture OF the medical history OF
the most interesting war that has ever
taken place.
Probably the most striking feature
IN the information now at hand is the
great difference between the healing
OF the wounds Of sailors and soldiers.
Though the severest wounds from
which both classes OF fighting men
suffer are the same-that is. are in
ficted by shells and therefore are
likely 10 be large lacerated wounds
wounded sailors recover almost with
out complication, while the wounded
soldiers are almost without exception
suffering from some of the severest
kinds Of infections and therefore,
have a long drawn out convaleScence.
Many of the wounded sailors have
been immersed for a time in cold salt
water before their wounds were dress
ed but though the cold has lowered
their resistive vitality their wounds
have healed promptly and usually
without complication. The sailors
have suffered as a rule surprisingly
little from shock. and every very large
lacerated wounds OF muscles simply
can be stitched up. AMI they heal by
first intention.
Free from Earth Dust.
The reason for this notable differ
ence in the two classes of patients is
almost obvious to the physicians. The
sailors are not exposed to having their
wounds contaminated by earth dust.
and that is the serious element for
wound complications. In spite of all
the care that has been exercised in
preventing sepsis the mode of the
present war has utterly upset all the
calculations. The fighting has been
IL trenches. The men have literally
dug themselves in. 1t is almost inn
possible that the wounded men should
not get earthly materials. and espe-
c!ally those from just below the sur
face OF the ground, into their wounds
This has been the serious factor. Bac-
terra, so far as we know anything
about them, are little plants, and they
grow luxuriantly in the soil, and
therefore are particularly prevalent in
the trenches. They are especially rife
in cultivated ground, and not a little
OF the fighting has been done in the
plOughed fields Of north France.
In the notes on naval and military
surgery in the current number Of the
British Journal of Surgery, which is
the representative surgical periodical
OF Great Britain, a surgeon who has
had the opportunity to inspect a nCm-
Der OF the military hospitals in France
as we'll as in England. declares that
the present war has been almost lit
orally IAN orgy Of sepsis.
The large lacerated wounds caused
by shell fire, or by bullets strikns
compact bones and bursting out the
tissues. are almost invariably contain
mated with septic material. The rea-
sons for this are the presence Of
metal fragments in the wound, pieces
OF cloth carried in. and then above
all earth dirt from the neighboring
sol Even with all these disadvan-
tages sepsis would be much less Sc
rious but for the length of time which
elapses between the receipt of the
wound and the first thorough dress
ing.
Bacteria i'm the Soil.
The soil contains particularly the
anacrobic bacteria, as they are called
that IS the microbes which grow
out OF the presence Of the air and
will not grow wherever free oxygen
is present; hence the fOndness for the
soil above all for rich loan. The
tetanus bacillus is one Of these. and
another is the bacillus which causes
gangrene with gas formation. Wher-
ever soldiers have been wounded in
ploughed fields or in areas that had
been under cultivation a great many