The French Government have issued some remarkable figures showing the
percentage of wounded men who have recovered, or are recovering, and are, or will be, fit again for service. The figures are taken np to December 1st :-
Wounded, but fit for almost immediate return
to the front ...
b4b0 per cent.
Wounded, and on leave ... 24b0 „ Wounded, and still in hospital ... 17.40 „ Permanently disabled and unfit for further service Pee „ Wounded, and died from wounds ...
3.48
„
The enormous proportion of complete recoveries testifies to the " humaneness " of the modern bullet and to the great skill of the surgeons. But there is another point. It is obvious that in a long war the majority of wounded men will return to the front. When we speak of the moralities of an army we must remember that it would be quite misleading to deduct them bodily from the fighting strength of that army. Casualties nowadays are chiefly temporary casualties.
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