the conveyance of vibrations, would suffer severely, and such proved
to be the case.

_Fractures in their relation to nerve injury_ will be first dealt with,
and secondly injuries to the cord itself.

Isolated fractures of the processes were not uncommon, the determination
of the injury to anyone being naturally dependent on the position and
direction taken by the wound track.

For implication of the _transverse processes_ sagittal wounds coursing
in varying degrees of obliquity were mainly responsible. Such injuries
might be unaccompanied by any nerve lesion. Thus a Boer received a
Lee-Metford wound at Belmont which passed from just below the tip of the
right mastoid process across the pharynx and through the opposite cheek.
No bone damage was at first suspected; suppuration in the neck, however,
followed infection from the pharynx, and when a sinus which persisted
was opened up later, a number of small comminuted fragments were found
detached from the transverse process of the axis. In other cases more or
less severe symptoms of nerve lesion were observed, varying from
transient hyperaesthesia, due to implication of the issuing nerves, to
symptoms of spinal haemorrhage, such as are portrayed in the following:--

(94) A private in the Black Watch was wounded at Magersfontein
from within a distance of 1,000 yards. Among other wounds, one
track entered 1 inch to the right of the second lumbar spinous
process, and emerged 1 inch internal to the right anterior
superior iliac spine. There were signs of wound of the kidney,
and in addition, retention of urine, incontinence of faeces,
complete motor and sensory paralysis of the right lower
extremity, and total absence of all reflexes. Anaesthesia
existed over the whole area of skin supplied by the nerves of
the sacral plexus, hyperaesthesia over that supplied by the
lumbar nerves.

On the tenth day subsequent to the injury, the hyperaesthesia in
the area of lumbar supply was replaced by normal sensation,
motor power began to be slowly regained in the muscles supplied
by the anterior crural and obturator nerves, and the patellar
reflex returned. At this time lowered sensation returned in the
area supplied by the sacral plexus, but no improvement in motor
power took place, and no control was regained over the bladder
and rectum.

During the succeeding week some sciatic hyp