Napoleon certainly appreciated the rew situation during the latter portion of his career for on one occasion he ordered that' no doctors: were {0 be allowed in the firing line declared that "one doctor was.
15 ordinary: men." But in apoleon's day military surgery was so. primitive that the number of Wounded men returning to the firing Tine way not at any time great, The discovery of the antiseptic method. fand the evolution of modern surgery rare NeedCul to endow the medical corps of an army with real military signifteance. "This new significance Found its frst recognition on what may be called @ national scale in the Russo-Japanese War. The Japanese, as a scientific people, had noted the fact that in. most earlier struggles, and especially in their own struggle with China, the proportion of men Yendored hors de combat by bullets, fand shells was about 20 per cent. of the total casualties. The remaining BO per cent. were driven from the fighting line by disease. Moreover, of the wounded many were render-a _permanently "incapable because their" wounds became infected, 'The Japanese saw that if disease could be prevented. and all wounds could receive immediate and thorough surgical care, the number of men constantly' available for the firing Tine would be immensely increased. Japan therefore organized her Army Medical Corps on a new basis. She gave great powers to her medical flcerx and demanded rear things. of them. She equipped her forces With men of science, bacteriologists and expert analysts whose duty. it was to examine wells, report. upon drainage systems, select the sites for imps and discover infected persons, and isolate them.
As the result of these precautions token before the war broke out, she reduced! her casualties in the most remarkable manner. Her final regulls showed that instead of 0 per cent. of the number of men rendered hors de combat being vielims of Gisease, only 20 percent. were so fifected, while of the wounded a much smaller number than usual suffered from blood poisoning and other similar conditions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.