The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-03-25
THE ORIGIN OF THE GENEVA CONVEN-
TON.
PROTECTION TO THE WOUNDED


War after war had shown the utter ina.
bility of any organized military medical
service to cope uuaidad with the wounds
produced in any large battle. We know
the condition of our own wounded after the
battles of tho Crimea, the formation of the
Sanitary Commission, and the labors of
Miss Nightingale aud other. A state of
affairs even wOTss existed in Russia and
endcavors of u similar kind weIe made to
remedy the evil. But want of previous or
ganization made these efforts of compare
lively small avail. Then came the war of
1859 in Italy, and more terrible suffering
than in the Crlme0, for the battles were on IL
larger scale. Again spAsmudic efforts To
supplement the military organization by
voluntary help, again the most helpless
Inability to meet the needs of trr wounded.
Aud now was born the lever which moved
the world. lt was but alItUlo book, called,
" Tn Souvenir de S"lterIno," written by u
Swiss gentleman, Monsieur Dunaut, 10
which he narrated his own experience in
this war as a neutral seeking to give help;
and urged that the person of combatant
Frustrated by u wound should DO consid
cred sacred, and that the sanitary staff of
armies should be consid ered neutr l and
free from liability to capture. He suggest
ed a uniform distinctive mark or badge
for hospitals and attendants on the wound
ed, aud recommended the formation in
every country of a permanent society for
the relief of the wounded in battle, acting
in the interest OF it's own cOuntry, but in
tho spirit of universal humanity. This
book attracted great attention, aud was
speediiy translated into moat European
languages. \ phiIanthropic body at Ge-
neva, called the Z" Imm lssion OF Public
Utility" took the subject up and nominated
u committee, winch sent invitations to the
European powers to attend ~ conference on
the subject. In October, 1868. that confer
ence met, attended by thirty six delegates,
of whom fourteen had been nominated by
various Governments. The bloody drama
in America was being acted, aud was
teaching the lesson atresh, 80 the moment
" az opportune. The work of this confer
ence WAS of n wo-fold nature. In the first
place. IL passed n series OF resolutions to
the effect that in each country II committee
should be formed to assist the military
medical services in time of war; that these
committees should enter into relations with
the Governments of their own countries
that in time of peace they sh"Hld make
ready for war by preparing material and
training hospital assistants /; tuat IN time
of war they should respectively AID their
own armies, that they might solicit the aid
OF committees of neutral nations that In
case of the military authorities approving,
they might eend help on to the field of bat
tie, IN which caselt would be under he mil
anu IuAGl lucy 6uDulu pro-
pare places for tending tho wounded, in
concert with the military authorities. Here,
then, in these practical resolutions, invoIv-
ing no alteration of existing rules of war,
lies the origin of the formation of perman-
entnRtional aid societies. These resolutions
most distinctly contemplate natiOnal-not
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES acting respectively
on behalf of their own armies. Their ob
iect ia to substitute organized volunteer aid
for irregular, i'll concerted sGrrts to CEN
tralize in each State the scAJtered eFprts
previously found inefficient through want
Of com binRtion. Help from neutTals is only
contemplated if invited by any national
committee, aud this appears tt imply that
1t should be given to the committee Invlt
ing it, not to the wounded direct. But these
resolutions have never received any lioial
sanction. They have never been embodied
in any treaty and no international sanc-
ton hey Ond the resolution of this aud sub.
seQuent conferences has been given to- vol.
unIeer societies. The Conference of 1873
In the seooRd place, recommended through
tho delegates that q Congress should be
hSld 20 dtAcpas tho AehirAhiliFY Of An ihkar.