"Vulu Selo"

[guad42]

Pards,

Over the weekend I was finally able to take the time and review some leads that the SCV was kind enough to give me in the research of some of my mother's relatives. Long story short my 2nd Great Grand Uncle is listed as entering the Confederate General Hospital in Charlottesville, VA on May 7, 1864 with the malady of "Vulu Selo" (which I take to be some type of latin). Can any of the well read fellows here perhaps explain to me what Vulu Selo is?

Regards,

Sam Dolan

[reddcorp]

Re: "Vulu Selo"

Vulnus sclopeticum is a gunshot wound. I suspect vulu selo to be an abbreviation of that term.

A. W. Redd

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: "Vulu Selo"

Hallo!

Correct.

Abreviations are common, much like we moderns use "GSW."

REPORT OF THIRTY-FOUR CASES OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS. 559

...The following report is given almost verbatim as made in my "Notes of Surgical Cases'' over twenty years age

(1) J. M. McGuire—Private Fifth Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Company "C," aet. 30; occupation, farmer. Vulnus sclopeticum, left hand; ball entering palmar surface; exit near articulation of ring-finger with its metacarpal bone, seriously injuring the latter. Date of injury, May 15th, 1864 ; admitted to the hospital May 17th, 1864. Lint and cold water dressing. Recovered.

(2) T. B. Teak—Private Forty-First Regiment Georgia Infantry, Company " I," aet. 29; occupation, farmer. Valens sclopeticum, right knee; entrance near internal condyle of femur. Ball extracted on the field. Date of injury, May 25th 1864 admitted to hospital May 27th, 1864. Lint and cold water dressing. Recovered.

(3) I. Simalton—Private Forty-First Georgia Regiment Infantry, Company " I," aet. 20 ; occupation, farmer. Vulnus sclopeticum; entrance left forearm between extensor and supinator muscles, passing posteriorly, making exit through triceps flexor three inches below insertion of deltoideus. Date of injury, May 25th ; admitted to hospital May 27th, 1864. Lint and cold water dressing. Recovered. No anchylosis of joint.


(4) T. M. Adams-Corporal Cobb's Legion, Company " F," aet. 23; occupation, farmer. Vulnus sclopeticum ; entrance palmar surface between middle and fore-finger, exit near articulation of middle finger with its metacarpal bone. Date of injury, May 6th, 1864; admitted to hospital May 28th, 1864. Lint and cold water dressing. Recovered.

(5) C. M. Humphries—Private Fifth Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Company "I," aet. 20; occupation, farmer. Vulenue sclopeticum, left arm ; entrance near insertion of deltoideus, exit opposite entrance. Date of injury, May 28th, 1864 ; admitted to hospital May 31st, 1864. Lint and cold water dressing. Recovered.

(6) B. P. Landrum—Sergeant Fourth Kentucky Infantry, Company "A," aet. 24 ; occupation, farmer. Vulnus scloepeticum ; entrance two inches above left ear, ranging poseteriorly; exit two inches from entrance; traumatic erysipelas supervened. Date of injury, May 28th, 1864; admitted May 81st, 1864. Tincture iodine locally; iron, quinine and whiskey internally. Lint and cold water dressing. Full diet. Recovered."

Vulnus is Latin for wound. It is still kinda/sorta around in the English word.. "vulnerable."

Curt

Not to be confused with Vuvuzela....

[guad42]

Re: "Vulu Selo"

Thanks Curt and thanks AW Redd!

I really appreciate the information. This all came from reviewing documents sent to me via email by the SCV for my 2nd Great Grand Uncle Andrew H. Bridges of the 55th North Carolina (in case you were curious). I had seen this note in other people's files before regarding injuries and did not know what it meant. Thank you!

-Sam Dolan

[Alexander Vasquez]

Re: "Vulu Selo"

Interesting. Brings up a question I've had for a while.

I have the copy of the 1883 Pensioners on the Roll for Webster County, Missouri. A link is here:

http://www.archive.org/stream/listpensionerso02buregoog#page/n631/mode/1up

My great-great-great grandfather is listed as "g.s.w. of face" under "Cause for which pensioned" (he'd been shot at Missionary Ridge, the bullet entered under the right eye and came out under his left ear and messed him up pretty good).

So has anyone seen 'g.s.w.' used as a period abbreviation prior to or during the war, or was that a bureaucratic short cut invented for the war?


Alexander Vasquez
Late of Co. C, 15 IA

[CS Ensign]

Re: "Vulu Selo"

So has anyone seen 'g.s.w.' used as a period abbreviation prior to or during the war, or was that a bureaucratic short cut invented for the war?

Just one example that I know of (haven't looked for others though) - the Compiled Service Record of George B. Dodd of the 6th Kentucky Infantry (CS) includes a hospital record that says that he was wounded at the Battle of Dallas, GA on May 28, 1864. Wound described as "G.S.W, (flesh) fragment of shell middle 3d right thigh." If the transcription from the original document to the CSR card is accurate, G.S.W. was used in 1864 at any rate.

Best,
Greg