Battle Casualties and Medical Statistics

The great body of combat statistical data available from the UnitedStates Army experience in Korea represents the complete spectrum of unitcombat operations in the field. From the division and Army troops to smallunit actions from fortified lines, Korea provides the planner with a concentratedbackground of factual information. Some of the data presented here arerevisions of material previously published by the author in The SurgeonGeneral's monthly report, Health of The Army, and the material ontactical action was previously presented as a monograph. These data havebeen assembled with the planner in mind, based on a knowledge of materialconsidered essential by Systems Analysts engaged in combat development,war-gaming, weapons evaluation, medicologistical problems, and in medicalresearch concerning battle casualties.

Part of the discussion involves historical background necessary to presentwhatever qualification is required. However, this is by no means a historyof the United States Army in Korea. This volume is a compilation of medicalstatistical data in detail of division versus nondivision comparisons,designed for applications in operations research and systems analysis.Although written for the medical planner, whose duties require the estimationof casualties or planning for their evacuation and hospitalization, itshould also be of interest to the military surgeon by providing informationon the nature of traumatisms, their causative agents, and surgical operationsrequired.

During most of the time this material was being assembled, Mr. EugeneL. Hamilton (since retired) was Director of The U.S. Army Medical StatisticsAgency, and was largely responsible for the progress of this endeavor.The material presented here is somewhat of an extension and reflectionof earlier work undertaken in assisting Gilbert W. Beebe, Ph. D., and MichaelE. DeBakey, M.D., in preparing similar material for their book BattleCasualties (Charles C Thomas, Publisher, 1952). The stimulus providedby Dr. Beebe, 20 years ago, is largely responsible for the production ofthis volume. COL William J. Foulk and MAJ Ruben F. Fechner, Force DevelopmentDivision, Plans, Supply and Operations, encouraged the development andprovided the necessary impetus for making this material available to plannersthroughout the U.S. Army. CPT William W. White reviewed the sections onEstimating Bed Requirements through appendix A and made many valuable suggestions.Mrs. Neva C. Stiles performed the many computations for rates and did muchto insure the accuracy of these data. Mrs. Lois Aldridge, War Records Center,National Archives, located the innumerable documents for every day eachunit was in Korea during the period of the war. Miss Lillian B. Smith interpretedthe many tabulations of World War II and Korean War data; she and Mrs.Miriam T. Whitehead located and furnished much of the basic statisticaldata. Mrs. Mary J. Dolphin designed the format of all tabular material.Mrs. Doretha Elmore typed the tables and Miss Deborah T. Collier and Mrs.Lorraine P. Stroman typed the manuscript. Mr. Edward L. Lane, Graphic ArtsSection, Publications Branch, prepared the statistical charts. In The HistoricalUnit, U.S. Army Medical Department, Mrs. Martha R. Stephens, Editor ofthe Editorial Branch, performed the final publications editing, and Mrs.Hazel G. Hine, Chief of the Administrative Branch, supervised the finaltyping of the manuscript.

FRANK A. REISTER