 |
|
Weapons of War
Rebecca Voelker
JAMA. 1999;282:933.
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
The 20th century's powerful, deadly weapons of war are taking an enormous toll on civilians living in poor, politically vulnerable war-torn nations.
In a series of studies published August 14 in BMJ, researchers from the International Committee of the Red Cross analyzed data on wartime civilian injuries treated in Red Cross hospitals in Africa and Asia. Of nearly 19,000 people treated from 1991 to 1998, 19% who had bullet wounds, 34% with injuries from fragments of mortars, bombs, and shells, and 31% injured by antipersonnel mines were civilians. Of 2012 treated at the Red Cross hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, civilians had 39% of bullet wounds, 55% of injuries from mines, and 61% of fragment injuries.
The researchers drew several conclusions about the rise in civilian injuries. Among them were that in wartime, mines and fragments are more likely than bullets to injure civilians, and that aggressors feel . . . [Full Text of this Article]
|
