title: Ballistics: a primer for the surgeon.
abstract: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on ballistics and to sort through the plethora of myth and popular opinion. The trauma surgeon is increasingly faced with gunshot wounds. Knowledge of ballistics is important to help in assessing the patterns of wounds that are seen. There are many factors that affect the flight of a bullet to its target. Many of these factors also affect the behaviour of the bullet after it strikes the target. It is primarily these factors that interest the surgeon.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 950 Faculty Office Tower, 510 South 20th Street, Birmingham, AL 35294-3409, USA. david.volgas@ortho.uab.edu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Volgas
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stannard
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D005389:Firearms; D044709:Forensic Ballistics; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007700:Kinetics; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000601:surgery*