When a patient is brought to our military hospitals, who has had his foot, leg, hand or arm shattered by a ball, or any other violent cause, whether the parts are intirely carried off, or adhere by a little flesh and skin, but in such a manner that there is not any hope of a re-union; in this last case, we begin by cutting through these slender attachments which keep the part suspended, and thus intirely separate it from the body. In both cases, when pieces of the extremities of the bones jut out, and may prove hurtful, they must be sawed off with a convenient saw, whether they be moveable or still firmly adhere to the limb: When they are moveable, they must be held by an assistant. I hope no man in this treatment, will pretend to see any thing like what is properly called amputation, which I condemn. After this first operation, I carefully examine if there be still any small splinters left, and whether they are only held by the fleshy parts, or still adhere to the bone; I remove all those, with the fingers, or with instruments, that can be separated without violence or a fresh effusion of blood. After removing as many splinters as I can, I slightly compress the limb between my hands, gently stroking it lengthways, from above downwards, endeavouring, at the same time, to restore, as much as possible, its natural shape; I dress the sore with a digestive, to which I add a little essence of myrrh, or solution of mastic: I cover the whole with dry lint; applying the same bandage as after artificial amputation, sufficiently tight, without, however, running the risque of causing pain or increasing the inflammation: Afterwards I moisten the whole with as much spirit of wine as may penetrate to the parts affected; taking care to keep the limb extended in a right line, and laid soft. The first days, till the suppuration becomes plentiful, I only dress it once every twenty-four hours, sometimes seldomer; but when the suppuration is begun, I renew the dressings twice a day; and such of them as immediately touch the bone, or fleshy parts of the wound, I cover with lint dipt in solution of mastic, balsam of Fioraventi, or some other balsamic essence, in order, by that means, to prevent too large a suppuration. I likewise remove, each dressing, all the little shivers of bone which do not reunite, and which, though they could not be separated at the first dressing, may in the succeeding ones.