Nelson & His World

Discussion on the life and times of Admiral Lord Nelson
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 Post subject: Wind of Ball
PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 7:38 pm 
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I have been reading a most interesting article on the Historical Maritime Society website by a surgeon, Tony Harrison, whose comments, as a professional, on the surgery practised in Nelson's navy are most illuminating. The existence of many primary sources in the shape of surgeons' journals and reports allows us to listen at first hand to these voices from the past. Harrison concludes that the rise in calibre of ships' medical officers in the second half of the eighteenth century was remarkable. Often working in horrendous conditions in the heat and aftermath of battle, the surgeons' thorough knowledge of anatomy combined with speed of performance often minimised the degree of shock and enabled patients to survive. Post-operative infection, was, however, common, particularly tetanus and gangrene. Every operation and treatment had to be recorded in minute detail. These records are extremely instructive to general and medical historians; for example, opium was often a successful treatment for lockjaw. Peruvian bark (the base material from which quinine was later made) was also a valuable treatment for this complication.

One interesting phenomenon recorded by surgeons was 'wind of ball'. 'This injury occurred when a cannon ball, in flight, passed close to any part of the body. It was considered most dangerous when passing close to the stomach, leaving no obvious marks, but often causing almost instantaneous death. Remarkably it was also noted that 'wind of ball' was never fatal if the ball passed close to the head'.

I wonder why this was? Could it be that the bone of the skull acted as a shock absorber, whereas the abdomen had no such protection, leaving the viscous 'innards' vulnerable?


Last edited by tycho on Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:23 am 
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The record by the surgeon of the amputation of Nelson's arm and subsequent medication is held by the National Archives. A quick way to access this is on the website of the Woodland Trust www.treeforall.org.uk/ then click on 'About Nelson' on the left and scroll down.

It is well known that, for Nelson, the memory of the cold steel cutting into flesh rather than the gruesome sawing through bone was the most excruciating memory, and that, ever afterwards he instructed his surgeons to warm their instruments. I wonder if this was an unwittingly beneficial action in that boiling water, if it was used, would have sterilised the instruments. Certainly, at Trafalgar, there were 11 amputations in Victory and only one man subsequently died - he, I believe, was the heroic James Maine. As his arm was amputated, 'he sang every verse of 'Rule Britannia' in a loud clear voice.'


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:30 pm 
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Given the difficulties in observing the phenomenon, it was brave to claim that 'wind of ball' was never fatal if the ball passed close to the head'. How many not-fatal instances do you have to observe before you can say that?

And given that the head is smaller than the body, statistically, near misses to the head would have been much rarer as well.

Any volunteers for a more scientific study?

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 Post subject: Rhubarb?
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:40 pm 
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Is there a modern equivalent of this phenomenon? There may be something to compare it with if there is.

I do wonder if the sailors and marines affected by 'wind of ball' would have fared better onshore where the physicians routinely treated stomach/wind problems with mercury, James powders (and a good bottle of port.)

Perhaps, with our 21st century hats on, it sounds like rhubarb, but I'd be interested to know if a contemporary treatise was ever written on 'wind of ball.'


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:53 pm 
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This phrase in a letter from Nelson in 1801 (about Captain Somerville, taken from the Mr. Hill thread) sounded odd at the time:

Quote:
"... I never heard of more firmness than was shown by the good and gallant Captain Somerville. I felt much in sending an Officer who has a wife and eight children, all dependent on his life. Although he has not reported himself injured, yet I fear he has suffered in his head, by the bow-gun of a Brig that was fired over him.. .."


Could Nelson have been referring to a 'wind of ball' incident?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 10:05 pm 
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I have located, but not yet read, an article that might enlighten us about Captain Somerville's injuries, and wind-of-ball injuries in general.

www.ask.metafilter.com/58933/wind-of-ball-injuries

The article is entitled 'Gunshot injuries, their history, characteristic features, complications and general treatment' by Thomas Longmore (1895).

For information on 'wind of ball' injuries specifically, you are directed to pp 132-136 of the article.

Gruesome stuff, I expect. I'll need to brace myself.


Last edited by tycho on Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:43 pm 
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I do remember reading some modern commentary on 'wind of ball' that pointed out that the injury would be caused by the impact of the shockwave of the shot passing throught the air, which would be greatest at short range while the shot was still travelling at its fastest.

This could tie in with Captain Somerville standing in a boat just under the bows of a brig that fired over him - if that is where he was. But if he was very close, it would more likely be the muzzle blast that would have injured him.

However 'wind of ball' still generates much hot air today - see here: http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/in ... 01191.html

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:19 am 
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An account of the battle of Cape St Vincent by Captain Ralph Miller was published as an appendix to Colin White's '1797: Nelson's Year of Destiny.' In it, Miller mentions his own experience of 'wind of ball', or 'wind of a shot' as he terms it. Having spoken of 'the vill[ainous] grape shot that were continually singing past our heads', he continues:

Nothing touch'd me but I found when I endeavour'd to take my half boots off to go to bed at midnight that the outside of my left thigh was stiffen'd and bruis'd which I can ascribe to nothing but the wind of a shot - particularly as the one that kill'd our Major of Marines cou'd have pass'd very few inches from it...'

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PostPosted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 11:18 pm 
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In Farington's diary his entry for 8th June 1797 includes:

"...West saw General Koscioscou yesterday. He went with Dr. Bancroft & Trumbull. - The Genl. was laid on a Couch - had a black silk band round his head - & was drawing Landscapes, which is his principal amusement. He speaks English, appears to be abt 45 years of age and 5 feet 8 inches high. One side of him is paralytic - the effect of a cannon shot passing over him - he had two stabbs in his back - one cut in his head..."

Hard to know if the paralysis resulted from 'wind of ball' or from his other injuries, which seems more likely.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:30 am 
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Roy and Lesley Adkins include two incidents of 'wind of ball' in 'Jack Tar'. Both are from Vice-Admiral William Henry Dillon's 'Narrative of my Professional Adventures' (Ed. M A Lewis, London 1953)

'When the 'Defence' began to be pounded by a French ship, Dillon notes that,

'One or two shots passed so close the the Captain [Gambier] that he thought he was hit. He clapped both hands upon his thighs with some emotion; then, recovering himself, he took out of his pocket a piece of biscuit, and began eating it as if nothing had happened. He had evidently been shook by the wind of the shot.'.

Later, Dillon fought in the Glorious First of June battle and himself experienced wind of a shot:

'Two of the men were blown down from the wind of a shot from the ship we were engaging, and I was carried away with them by the shock. I thought myself killed, as I became senseless, being jammed between these two men.'

After the battle, he saw the surgeon to enquire about these two men and discovered they had both been killed:

'one of them was without the slightest mark of a wound on any part of his body: the other had a bruise across his loins, suppose to have been occasioned by his having come into contact with the bitts in his fall. It is therefore clear that he was killed by the wind of a shot. Few persons will believe that the wind of a shot can take away a life. But here was proof that it could, and the Surgeon was witness to it having happened.'

I was discussing this phenomenon with Ian and he reminded me of a Norwegian friend of ours who recounted a strange incident during WW2 when he served on the Murmansk convoys, having escaped to Scotland. After an attack by aircraft, one of their gunners was found dead at his post, without a mark on him. He was presumed to have died of shock.

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