, as fixed in its course by the bone of the centrum,
directly struck but half of the whole width of the cord.

It was striking how little secondary change in the cord had occurred in
the neighbourhood of the spot of division. This well illustrates the
comparatively slight vibratory effect of a bullet travelling with a
degree of velocity insufficient to completely perforate the vertebral
column.

_Symptoms of injury to the spinal cord._--In _slight spinal concussion_
these exactly resembled those of the more severe lesions, except in
their transitory nature. They consisted in loss of cutaneous
sensibility, motor paralysis, and vesical and rectal incompetence. The
phenomena persisted from periods of a few hours to two or three days,
return of function being first noticeable in the sensory nerves, and
often with modification in the way of lowered acuteness, or minor signs
of irritation, such as formication, slight hyperaesthesia or pain,
pointing to a combination with the least extensive degrees of
haemorrhage; later, motor power was rapidly regained. The subjects of
such symptoms often suffered from weakness and unsteadiness in movement
for some days or weeks; a sharp line of discrimination between such
cases and those described in the next paragraphs is manifestly
impossible.

_Spinal haemorrhage._--The symptoms of this condition developed
differently according to whether concurrent concussion existed.
Occasionally very typical instances of pure haemorrhage were observed
with transient symptoms:--

(96) A private in the Yorkshire Light Infantry was wounded at
Modder River; the bullet entered between the eleventh and
twelfth ribs, just posterior to the left mid-axillary line,
emerging in the posterior axillary fold, at its junction with
the right side of the trunk. On the second day after the injury
the lower extremities became drawn up, the knees and hips
assuming a flexed position, and this was followed shortly by
the advent of complete motor and sensory paraplegia,
accompanied by retention of urine. Two days later, the patient
again passed water normally, and gradual and rapid return of
both sensation and motor power took place. At the end of
fourteen days no trace of the condition remained, and the
patient was shortly after sent home.

The symptoms, however, were rarely so simple as in this example; it was
very much more common to meet with an adm