Palla Ákos szerk.: Az Országos Orvostörténeti Könyvtár közleményei 3. (Budapest, 1956)

J. BALOGH, M. D.: The hungarian traumatic surgery in the first part of the 19th century

cautious attitude of old is being gradually replaced by a trend of thought that even risks should be taken in an effort to save the life of the patient. (See also: a case of a shot into the abdomen, Gy., 30, 619, 1861.) In 1858 a jelous husband cut off with a blunt knife the penis of the lover of his wife. Dr. Helle, chief surgeon of the Kiskun district, resutured the penis of the 25 years old farmer. One day after operation the wound was infiltrated with urine, then a small coin-sized gangrene and a urinary fistula developed. An indwelling catheter was introduced, coal dust and térébenthine oil were applied locally. The village surgeon dressed the wound daily, under the supervision of Dr. Helle, and instituted antiphlogistic therapy. The patient made a full recovery, got married and had children (Gy., 16, 330, 1861). War surgery is essentially traumatic surgery under highly specific conditions. Let us have a glimpse at the methods of warfare at that time. The well-trained soldier of the age had a muzzle-loader percussion-cap firearm, fireing an average of 5 shots a minute. Though its range was 300 to 600 steps, aimed shots were possible for distances not longer than 200 steps. Consequently, the massed attacks by infantry, light and heavy cavalry were the decisive factors on the battlefield. In the 1861 volume of Gy., Batizfalvy published a series of articles on field surgery. This series reveals that for example in the Schleswig-Holstein war, in the battle at Idstedt 1210 casualties, including 97 cases of chest injury, were treated within a few hours' time. The series, a review in nature, had been written mainly under the Influence of foreign authors. In O. T. a single article deals with the ,,insurrection hospitals" that had functioned during the Insurrection of Nobility (1810) (O. T. 12, 167, 1831). The author, Leopold Windisch, writes about a few cases of cut by sword and about one case of hand shot. In 1866. László Verebélyi treated 410 casualties, including 288 cases of injury caused by shots. (O. H., 43—45, pp. 751, 774, 791, 1866). Kálmán Kövér, medical student, reported on the barrack hospital in the Városliget: in the period July 5—September 2, 1866, 254 wounded men were treated there, including 181 cases of firearm in-