The sun., 1915-11-15

{ the death rate Of the wounded III
i,ritish hospitals was actually - per
cent the total mort tality would be truly
terrible, FOR on adding the killed in bat
tle ,22 per cent? to this - per cent |
we should have a figure we'll over W
per cent. for tho total OF deaths from
battle injuries. This figure Is erroneous
on It's face.
The error may be shown In another
way. There II no reason 10 think that
the death rate Of tho British wounded
Is different from that of the German
wounded. Nt~y, the Germans say that
so per cent. of their wounded return to
duty. II would manlfestly be Impossible
for ~ per cent. of them to die ard y"
per cent. return to duty, even with al
the remarkable German efficiency. IL
IS probable that 80 per cent. do not be-
come able TO do full duty again. but
there IL little doubt that aj per cent. re-
cuvrr either wholly or IN ~ disabled con-
dition.
Il appears to be true that nearly one
third the British officers LIT In battlo
die. mostly on tho field. 1t was reported
that IN France up to July IS 3,2ss ofi-
Gers had Jeen killed and $500 wounded.
The only explanation apparent is that
when "a soldier is wounded he at once
leaves the field; when an officer Is
wounded tand not gravei) he contin-
ucs at MS post until gravely wounded or
killed. In any case, the death rate Will
be high. both on the field and In hospital
since the other nations do not give out
their losses it Is impossible 20 make
comparisons
Fortunately for my idea Of Mr. As
ou.th's statement. which covered the
war up 10 July. 1915. tho British War
Cfiloe aftcrward gave out tho British
lrsses to August 81. That ia Tor one
year. as the British army began tght-
ing near Mons on August 90. 1914. They
are as follows and are without doubt AS
nrarly correct as is possible at this time.
The exact losses IN our civil war were
not known for thirty years after tho
war closed:
Killed or d!ed Of wounds. 'sss7
| wounded OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. o;2
Total ...................... 336't6
! Grand tota OF lns.s. .3sl.sl3
| There is probably an overlapping here
/ Of wounded and those who died of
wounds. but 70 offset II there are doubt
| less many both dead and wounded among
! the list Of 80. .?s7 missing.
! As 20 the statements that various con-
/ d.tions to-day are uuhcard of, tG"y are
/ generally made by persons unfamiliar
/
! diers are no dirtier now than N other
| campaigns they are neither ~ dirty nor
50 much exposed to verm!n. as the dis
I appearance Of tiDhus from the great
I armies testiiieS. Nor do the wounded
] lie longer on tho feld they do not as
/ a general rule lie SO long, II is "A priri-
I lcge OF soldiers and war correspondents
. to think that e,ervth!ug !n their par
tlcu.ar war was more bloody. more he
I roic and more frishtful than in any
other war that ever was .ought Bu.
the careful and unpreJudiced student
! knows that such N..rvS are false. Tn"
| American vino thinks that wounded men
never lay on the hyd FOR days has ev'-
den'lv never read III" story ~ the s"c-
md Bul Run and cold Harbor. Men
have not changed greatly throughout
the ages They tght as hrarel;-. endure
wounds a. patiently and die as heroicallv
now as uIicr trart or Napoleon or
Gustlvus Adophus. or Hannibal or Alex
andcr. but not more 80.
\ few Of the factors OF war have
char rgcd the material. not the men.
Their IL, n much greater uso OF artillery
now than ever before consequently there
are more sh'apn"l and shell wounds, and
these wounds arc commonly infected
. owing - tn" general use Of trenches
there H. - larger proportion OF wounds
Of the head. and head wounds are par
t.cu,ar,y fatal. The use o. machine guns
@ @aS" may 'iI'l''r' .'e Pl.f'o, ,'on a.
N!ileh, s'''e H~i' n't 'H one p".,H' u
very Lk''E 70 Dc M ny se.SIN "'neI' r,t
oi 'H' =, ''N'h INK 1Io'h N',e ""''''' ,.
are also bad. rs always.
nut wan ''' ''''''N III D'"iHl'eS" v
I "'tT"'" 'h't' Iti~ 'e'u q s''n srcS'r'
> ~ r"S" ~ 1'e '''"'','S '"' s"N'lS A1'
Z lH"Ne 10 ''".'S' '''N,," sa' az. CIV
o '.i'',' .'l' s"'''''! 'ANi'''9 "tr" 'u'
= aHr'u "l '"e "'"''i.,rc 'N''e''H' ~" E'
: s"''a VI sanitary ell'''H'H ar ie."a,
? ps' seen III '"'e rH''t's '''n't',' "'Iun
. W .,"'SS Wv l'"a, -" - - '"''' ~ Wv
'7'ls' army IRON "'''VV '".'S an
4. "o"' d't'hs N tu' i'o"r way 70 i'"o'
4. case" aHh 4-p oe''nS !" Utc Pr,S1f wa
4 but sanitary sceh'e mas ''s victories !!
= hanhhus the Wouhu'a Also No' ON
o IN ''''"'t''NS th"ln au''NlN ana Trans
/, . p"ft TS tNe'n '"'hi"t'ap'E 10 h"splta!S j
: tae fe''' pu' a.so N SAVING t"eHtE ne
4 ol' @. every h'tIdr"a wounded VINO ]
= otAcr vars would nave oleu'
- h'l'ISh courage ~ Nhat u mas away
oNeh, hr'ush losses N oa'uc aro aoon
a Wha' fle!' haNe a. ways oceI' 'rAe d-a'
q rate OF the wounded IN hospfa.s ~ Ner
Il h'',ISH heui'aI "iil' 'rS are 'o'hpe'eh' an
, maze use OF the discoveries ana improve
4 mems niade IN s"fi'ar! science "urin
Z the Last halt centurF' mo same mgr
a ne sou q! tlo n"'s'hhs' t'e fFen'h q
q mo ''tIhHis' me -Nus'r'hns ana hus
y SLAMS are Ipf,s'o'N nor au''e 80 e''i''e'