Surgical experiences in the Zulu and Transvaal Wars, 1879 and 1881 / by D. Blair Brown.

  • Brown, Dugald Blair.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Surgical experiences in the Zulu and Transvaal Wars, 1879 and 1881 / by D. Blair Brown. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    under fire, to hop out from one building to the other. He therefore had four marvellous escapes within a few days—first, that of the stab at Sirayo's Kraal; secondly, the escape under fire from the hospital at Eorke's Drift; thirdly, the frequent profuse hasmor- rhages ; and fourthly, the operation. A case of accidental assegai wound came under my observation. When the 2nd division found its way back to the Upoko river, after the battle of Ulundi was over, athletic sports were held, one of the events being assegai-throwing. A great deal of interest, of course, was taken in this by all the members of the different regiments. The friendly Natal Zulus forming the Native Con- tingent regiment competed for the prizes. On one occasion an assegai was well, but wildly, thrown into the air, taking a high course, and descended with great rapidity amongst the ring of spectators, becoming transfixed in the upper portion of the calf of a soldier's leg. There was, of course, a sensational rush. When I o-ot to him he had withdrawn the weapon himself, and it was found the popliteal artery had just escaped. General Remarks on Gunshot Wounds. In wounds produced by round balls, or conoidal balls fired from smooth-bored guns, as in the Zulu war, the invariable slough appeared, and generally began to separate by the end of the first week. The case, however, is different with the modern rifle-bullet. I have seen so many instances of the healing process take place without any aid, after complete perforation of a thigh or arm, that I look upon the fact of a slough occurring as unusual. The wound of entrance and exit, also, differs in the two bullet injuries, the wound of entry in cases of cylindro-conoidal ones being fre- quently like those of exit in size and shape, and it would as often take a microscopist to detect the eversion or inversion of their lips. Again, in, the way of healing, almost in whatever line a round bullet travels, the wound of exit is the first to heal. This is as often not the case as otherwise with regard to the conoidal bullet