Excerpt from Gun-Shot Wounds, Particularly Those Caused by Newly-Invented Missiles: An Essay Which Received the Fiske Fund Premium of the Rhode Island Medical Society, for 1864The collapse and mental trepidation which frequently follow the in¿iction of a wound, though useful as a diagnostic indication of the gravity of the injury, is not entirely to be relied on, for this often depends as much on the frame and nerve of the patient as on the severity of the wound. It is, however, important to remember that the shock succeeding gun-shot wounds is greater when the lower extremities are injured than when the arms suffer, and Chevalier makes the remark, that the shock is always greater when a ball strikes a muscle in action than when it impinges against one which is relaxed.The destruction caused by a ball depends on its shape and velo city, the distance at which it is fired, the direction of its ¿ight, and on the part struck. If fragments of metal are fired - as sometimes happens during sieges and riots - a very lacerated, irregular and dangerous wound may be produced. The shape, great velocity and peculiar motion of the conical ball gives a very different character to its wounds from that caused by the round musket-ball. If, when fired at short range, it strike a ¿eshy part, the conical ball produces, I think, less laceration than the old ball. But if, when fired at long range, it strike a bony part, with but little covering of ¿esh, such as the hand or foot, then the tearing, especially at the place of exit, is much more marked. The cause of this will be found in its retarded velocity, and also in the ¿attening of the ball against the bone, its diameter being thus increased before it escapes.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.