THE CONFLICT in Viet Nam has provided surgeons with an opportunity to gain further knowledge of the healing of traumatic injuries. The Seventh Field Hospital arrived in Japan with the mission of supporting the war effort in Viet Nam. Wounds are debrided initially in Viet Nam, and the more seriously injured men are then evacuated for definitive care. The US Army Medical Command, Japan, is directly concerned with the treatment of these evacuees.
This study was devised in order to better understand some of the factors, particularly the wound flora, relating to the healing of these wounds. No attempt was made to review the entire subject comprehensively as this has been accomplished very well in the past.1,2
Method
All patients evacuated from Viet Nam with combat-type wounds were considered for this study. Only those whose stay at the Seventh Field Hospital was completed by the time of tabulation of