M151 W73 1863 PREFACE. THE only apology for bringing a reprint of this work before the profession in a different form is, that in the previous one published in 1859, 'Notes on the Wounded from the Mutiny in India' (all the copies of which have been sold), and which was a collection of cases without any table of contents and headings to pages or index, and consequently difficult for perusal and reference by any one interested in any particular subject. I have now endeavoured to remedy this, and have also made a few general remarks under each head,-these are, for the most part, the result of my own observation. Still I have no doubt that there may be a difference of opinion on the various kinds of practice, by those medical officers who have had much greater experience than myself. I can, however, only trust that the remarks I have made may be of some use to the medical officers of the army. In the Preface to the Notes on the Wounded from the Mutiny in India,' the following paragraphs appear : "All Soldiers of Cavalry and Infantry of the Line, invalided on account of wounds, pass through the Invalid Depôt at Chatham. "It is there, then, that probably the best opportunity is to always very desirable; and be found for ascertaining the results of different wars, in the several classes and species of wounds, and in the proportion which those classes and species bear to each other, and to the total by all wounds. The collection and record of such results seem to me to be I have availed myself of the opportunity alluded to as regards the wounded by the mutiny in India. The following pages contain the result of my labours. I feel that they might have been made more valuable and interesting had similar accurate records existed of the invalids wounded by former wars, with which I could have compared data, and so have drawn more comprehensive information, statistical and surgical. I am in hopes, however, that some points worthy of notice have been elicited; and, for example, I may refer to the large number of gunshot compound fracture of the femur, where the patients have recovered with good, useful limbs, as compared with the number of thigh-stump cases, and the total by all wounds. "This very satisfactory feature in the classified return of invalided wounded by the mutiny, appears to me perhaps not uncommon for Indian wars, but certainly very much so for European wars, as far as records enable me to make the comparison. This difference in favour of results by Indian wars I believe to be mainly due to the facilities afforded by the dooley for the successful treatment of this severest of all forms of compound fracture. Eleven cases recovered, with good, useful limbs, out of the total wounded landed from India-viz., 842. This is a large proportion compared with the result of the Crimean war, viz., 8 out of 2296." Medical officers who have served in India are, I believe, unanimous in opinion, that there is no means of transit for sick and wounded equal to the dooley; and should this be admitted by the public and the Government, there seems no reason why our Indian subjects should not furnish us with a supply of doolies and bearers in all our wars out of India. That such a means of transport would be expensive, must be admitted; but probably not so very much more expensive than the means usually supplied. The difference would not, I believe, be grudged by the public, who would find their satisfaction in the more favorable results amongst the severer classes of cases of invalided wounded arriving at the depot. Advantage has been taken of the valuable preparations on this subject contained in the Museum of the Army Medical Department, to illustrate these notes. Every preparation of gunshot wound contained in the Museum has been detailed in the following pages up to 1859. The specimens have been carefully described, and the history of the cases detailed as fully as possible, and several lithographic drawings have also been inserted. This, it is hoped, may be of some use, as informing the profession of what preparations of gunshot and other injuries received in action. the Museum at Netley contains. GOSPORT; G. WILLIAMSON. |