In the 1860s, the medical societies in Habsburg Monarchy, undertook a part of the medical postgraduate training. Doctors and wound surgeons from Ljubljana established medical association in October 1861 («Ärztlicher Leseverein in Laibach»). At a meeting in October 1862 they decided to include all the doctors and wound surgeons from the Carniola region. Following the organization was renamed Med...

Although mechanisms of modern military wounding may be distinct from those of ancient conflicts, the infectious sequelae of ballistic trauma and the evolving microbial flora of war wounds remain a considerable burden on both the injured combatant and their deployed medical systems. Battlefield surgeons of ancient times favoured suppuration in war wounding and as such Galenic encouragement of pu...

OBJECTIVE To determine the implications of variation in mortality associated with use of weapons in different contexts. DESIGN Literature review. SETTINGS Armed conflicts and civilian mass shootings, 1929-96. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Mortality from wounds. RESULTS During the fighting of war the number of people wounded is at least twice the number killed and may be 13 times as high; this ra...

Principles of penetrating head trauma management were established by Harvey Cushing in relation to the management of penetrating brain injuries of World War One. Cushing radically debrided the scalp and skull and aggressively irrigated wound tracks to remove foreign bodies. He would then obtain water-tight closure. Cushing significantly decreased infection rates which reportedly limited the maj...

Massive soft tissue and skin loss secondary to war-related traumas are among the most frequently encountered challenges in the care of wounded warriors. This case report outlines the first military nonburn-related trauma patient treated by a combination of regenerative modalities. Our case employs spray skin technology to an established dermal regenerate matrix. Our patient, a 29-year-old activ...

AIM The purpose of this series of cases was to analyse our management of orthopaedic trauma casualties in the Libyan civil war crisis in the European summer of 2014. We looked at both damage control orthopaedics and for case variety of war trauma at a civilian hospital. Due to our geographical proximity to Libya, Malta was the closest European tertiary referral centre. Having only one Level 1 t...

Wound ballistics research has contributed much to the understanding of the pathophysiology of missile injury that now exists. From this store of knowledge treatment regimes have evolved which have greatly improved the lot of the soldier wounded in war. However, research must keep pace with changes that are taking place in weapons research and development so that the particular needs of the Army...

Pte. P. F. J., aged 42, was admitted to the Crerard Freeman Thomas War Hospital, Bombay, on 22nd June, 1917, with a discharging sinus in the right loin. He stated that since December 1916 he had been troubled with debility and increasing weakness, but had no colic or pains in the loin; this had developed insidiously. It proved to be an abscess, which was opened and drained, the wound soon heali...

Maxillofacial injuries constitute 16% of all war-related injuries. This review focuses on data available from military and civilian studies to provide evidence-based recommendations for the modification of infections associated with combat-related injuries to the head and neck. The major emphasis of this review is on the study of subsequent infection, perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis, de...

The treatment of trauma to the heart has been written about since 3000 BC and had an inauspicious beginning. Until the late 19th century, the commonly held belief agreed with Boerhaave’s sentiments that, “all penetrating cardiac trauma is fatal.” Theodore Billroth warned, “The surgeon who should attempt to suture a wound of the heart would lose the respect of his colleagues.” Paget believed tha...