their treatment shown, by tables arranged in accordance with Taylor's classification, in the official surgical history of the war. The injuries of the commissioned officers have been similarly classified for the whole period of the war. This system of classification had not been officially introduced into India at the time of the Sepoy Mutiny, so that we have no medical and surgical history of that war as we have of the Crimean war; but the cases of all the men among the British forces who were invalided home to England from the effects of wounds have been tabulated according to it. It was equally applied to the injuries inflicted in the field during the last war in New Zealand. No means exist by which the vast number of wounds inflicted during the wars in which Great Britain was engaged prior to the Crimean campaign-in the Peninsula, in Belgium, in India, and elsewhere-can be similarly defined; scarcely anything more than their mere total numbers, and these apparently very imperfectly, were ever recorded. Such omissions can scarcely happen again in any future wars in which this country may be concerned. The Descriptive Numerical Return,' the history of which I have described in the foregoing remarks, comprehends fifteen classes of injuries. The first twelve contain the classification of gunshot injuries; the remaining three classes include wounds from cutting and stabbing weapons, and other miscellaneous injuries. In time of war printed copies of the classified returns are issued to surgeons in forms convenient for the simple insertion of the necessary numbers. The following is the form of these numerical returns; it is departmentally distinguished as Army Form A 7: DESCRIPTIVE NUMERICAL CLASSIFIED RETURN OF WOUNDS AND INJURIES RECEIVED IN ACTION. A return which is anxiously looked for after an action is Army Form A 6, which contains a list of the names of the wounded, together with a brief account of the nature of the wound each has received. This Casualty Return has been previously referred to (see page 670). The following is the form in which it has now to be furnished. One copy of it is ordered to be forwarded by the quickest conveyance to the General Officer Commanding, and one to the Principal Medical Officer for transmission to the Director-General of the Medical Staff at the War Office, as early as possible after each action. NOMINAL ROLL OF OFFICERS, WARRANT-OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, ON THE (The Nominal Roll of Officers wounded is given separately.) Injuries were inflicted. Projectile or Weapon by which Wounds or 189 |