A Lecture on Small-Bore Rifle Bullet Wounds and the "Humanity" of the Present War: Delivered at St. George's Hospital, on May 1st, 1900
Authors: C. T. Dent
Journal: BMJ (1900)

WE are all, I suppose, a little prone to assume that what is new to us is necessarily new to everyone else; and that of what we have lately learned others must necessarily be ignorant.The mere fact that I mention such a truism may, however, be taken as a proof that I do not share in the belief.In this South African caapaign-rather prematurely called in some quarters the Transvaal war-there are so many features of novelty that ev en the most cursory sketch of some may prove of interest.I do not, of course, lay claim to any profound knowledge or experience of gunshot wounds; and, in drawing comparison with the results of other wars, I have been ,compelled to resort to books and statistical reports.Fortu- aiately, military medical statistics relating to losses in wars are uniformly reliable; and, indeed, are given with a merci- less thoroughness.As faras regardathepresentcampaign I have had a fortunate experience, for in the course of the past few months I have, I suppose, seen between 2,000 and 3,000 wounds -nearer the latter figure, I suspect, than the former.It is easy enough to waste time, for war provides endless distrac- tions and excitement, but during my time I stuck closely to work throughout, disregarding even the fascinations of Cape- town.Everywhere, as I most gratefully acknowledge, I re- ceived the utmost courtesy and the utmost attention from high civil officials, from staff officera, and from the medical officers of all ranks.To them my very warmest thanks are due.My experience was principally, if not almost entirely, limited to the base hospitals and the stationary hospitals.It is there, after all, as it appears to me, that the civilian is best placed.There one can judge deliberately of organisation as a whole or of medical details: and it is certainly there that, free from the hurry and rush which are absolutely inseparable from work nearer the front, one can best study gunshot wounds and best watch the effects and results of treatment.My mission was a twofold one: first, to study the whole army medical organisation as it was working on a large scale in this present war; and the other was to learn all I could about the effects of gunshot wounds inflicted with the most modern weapons. ARMY MEDICAL ORGANISATION.You will pardon me if, on the first of these matters, I pre- serve silence, beyond making the one remark that it appears to me to be premature at present either to endorse or to ques- tion the criticism that has been made in some quarters of the army medical organisation as a whole, or on the other hand to join in the somewhat fulsome, or at any rate full, stream of eulogy and praise which is in other quarters lavished on the entire department.Efficient it is-that much I will say; more efficient beyond all question than any army medical organisation that has e-ver been in any campaign of any magnitude yet.But I hope that that will not prevent us in 'the future from striving to make it much better.TmE " HUMANITY" OF MODERN WARFARE.It is often said that this is a humane war.I am disposed to take the remark as a sort of text for my lecture, and to con- sider from a broad standpoint the anestion of the humanity of this war.,That statement is chiefly founded on the fact that modern small-bore gunshot wounds display remarkable fea- tures; that wounds do well; that operations do well; and that many of the recoveries that have taken place are un- doubtedly very remarkable.Professor Bruns anticipated, as the result of a series of ex- perimental observations made a few years ago, that the next war would be a humane one.The experiments were made on the dead bodies of men and horses.Bullets were fired into them at known ranges, and the effects were noted.The weapons used were small-bore rifles.On the other hand,