[Margaret Pilkington]

Retlaw it does look like it was an inflammatory connective tissue disorder.......and this would cover any kind of soft tissue injury.

My reading of this medical record is that the soldier needed ICT treatment for at least two weeks,(obviously an optimistic prognosis) then there is an entry that noted the injury to be healed, following that,it reads 'dispersed'...where I guess we would put discharged(although maybe because it related to the military they used dispersed as an alternative term for sending the man back to either his unit of his family).

I think these injuries took a long time to heal because of the nature of the wounds, and how they were caused.
General poor nutrition and existing health would have a bearing too.
Also, at that time there would not have been the antibiotic therapy available so the medical staff would have to use just cleaning techniques and debridement of dead tissue(cutting it away) they may even have used maggots to remove dead and infected tissue.
Interesting to read the notes. Those lads really suffered.

Anyway it looks like mystery solved.