  This paper reviews the scientific support for a ballistic pressure wave
radiating outward from a penetrating projectile and causing injury and
incapacitation. This phenomenon is known colloquially as "hydrostatic shock."
The idea apparently originates with Col. Frank Chamberlin, a World War II
trauma surgeon and wound ballistics researcher. The paper reviews claims that
hydrostatic shock is a myth and considers supporting evidence through parallels
with blast, describing the physics of the pressure wave, evidence for remote
cerebral effects, and remote effects in the spine and other internal organs.
Finally, the review considers the levels of energy transfer required for the
phenomenon to be readily observed.
