What is shrapnel?

Answer 1

An artillery shell filled with lead balls and a small bursting charge in the base that propelled the balls forward, acting like a shotgun cartridge. It was usually time-fused to burst 10-20 feet in the air (although a percussion fuse could be used) and was most effective against personnel and horses in the open. It was the main shell used by the Royal Artillery before the war, and remained so for field guns.

It is a fragment from an exploded artillery shell, mine or bomb. It is not for military medical purposes, a projectile such as gravel or splinters caused by an explosion which may or may not wound or kill. This exception though seldom used today, once excluded the issuance of a Purple Heart Medal. (In Vietnam for example, the Marine Corps sent its troops home to the States after three Purple Hearts, and this exclusion was used to return them to the lines without a third award.)

Answer 2

Shrapnel wounds (generally during war time) comes in various forms:

• Shrapnel is extremely sharp and it's caused by a bomb or grenade (booby traps). The thrust can sever a head or limbs.
• Shrapnel can embed itself into a human body destroying organs, or, if the poor soldier is lucky enough it can be removed.
• Shrapnel causes paralysis in the less fortunate (severs the spinal column.)
• Shrapnel can also enter the gut area and cause severe damage laying the person's stomach wide open.
• Shrapnel can enter the body at any angle and can be in extremely small pieces which is difficult for the surgeon to remove.