as a
more common source of danger than increase of severity in the individual
wounds received at a short range.

A short consideration of the circumstances especially influencing the
ultimate mortality amongst the wounded subsequent to the reception of
the injury is here necessary, although I shall be obliged to make my
remarks as short as possible. The subject is best treated of under the
two headings of Transport and Hospital Accommodation.

_Transport._--The importance of transport is felt from the moment of the
injury till the time of arrival of the patient in the mother country. To
the surgeon it is of the same vital importance as the carrying of food
for the troops is to the combatant general.

(_a_) Removal of the wounded from the field of battle. My experience was
opposed to hurried action in this matter, although it is necessary to
gather up the wounded before nightfall if possible. As a rule wounded
men should not be removed from the field of battle under fire, at any
rate when the troops are in open order at a range of 1,000 yards or
more. I saw several instances in which mortal wounds were incurred by
previously wounded men or their bearers during the process of removal,
while it was astonishing how many scattered wounded men could lie out
under a heavy fire and escape by the doctrine of chances. The erect
position and small group necessary to bear off a wounded man at once
draws a concentrated fire, if fighting is still proceeding.

As to the best and quickest method of removing the patients to the first
dressing station, there were few occasions when this was not more
satisfactorily done by bearers with stretchers than by wagons. The
movement was more easy to the wounded men, and, as a rule, time was
saved. Over rough ground the wagons travel slowly, and patients with
only provisional splints were shaken undesirably. A stretcher party in
my experience easily outstripped the wagon unless a road or very smooth
veldt existed. A larger number of men is of course required, but I take
it that on the occasion of a great war men are both more easily obtained
and fed than are transport animals. From what I have been able to learn,
both the Indian dhoolie-bearers and the hastily recruited Colonial
bearer companies were most successful in the removal of the large number
of wounded men from the field of Colenso. I had several opportunities of
comparing the two methods on a smaller scale during the fighting in
Oran