The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-23
INVENTOR OFF THE AMBULANCE.
Few Even of His own Profession Are
Familiar With His Name.
Francis H. Nichols in the Junior NTun-

a.
Francis H. Nichols in the Junior Mum
~, seq.
Probably no inventor has ever been
more completely forgotten, or has re-
ceived less credit for his work. than
the New York surgeon who devised the
city ambulance. 1t is not likely that
more than fifty persons in the coutry
know even his name. Very few Of the
hospital authorities of New York, the
men who have most to do with the
ambulance service, have even the re-
hottest idea of his identity
AT the close of the Civil War the
United States possessed admittedly the
finest military ambulance service in
the world; but, until 1859 no attempt
was made to use ambulances in cities
The theory of the city hospital had
always been that its medical staff was
responsible only for the care and treat
ment of patients within it's gates. It
was not concerned in the method by
which the sick or injured reached the
hospital. Very often they were wheel
ed in push cart by a policeman. Free
quently victims of contagious diseases
arrived in hired conveyances. Perhaps
a majority staggered in on foot.
In 1869 DIR, Edward B. Dalton was
sanitary inspector of the New York
Board of Health. He was born in
Lowell, Mass. in 1884, and he died at
the early age of thirty-eight, a victim
of hard work and exposure on battle
fields. After he was graduated from
Harvard and the College of Physicians
and Surgeons in New York, he entered
Bellevue Hospital as an inferno. In
1858 he was made resident physician
of st. Luke's, a position which he left
at the outbreak of the Civil War; to
become a surgeon in the Thirty ninth
New York Vlunteers. Owing to his
wonderful skill in his profession, and
his ability to cope with the most adj
verse of conditions he was promoted
in the army medical service until, in
1864, he was made an inspector OF the
medical department of the Army Of
the Potomac. In that capacity, he had
full charge of the entire surgical ar
rangements of the vast army that Gen.
Grant led through the bloody battles of
the Wilderness.
DIR. Dalton's hospital was essentially
a moving one. The long train of am
balances under his control was con-
stantly following and picking up the
wounded of the fighting force in front
of It. The number Of .ambulances with
the army at the time was probably
greater than In any campaign in his
tory.
His work in New York began after
the war. His duties included the in
spection of the various city hospitals;
and one day, while he was visiting the
New York Hospital. a sailor was
brought in from a vessel in port sur
fering more from injuries received on
the way to the hospital than from the
illness which had prompted him to go
there.
1.-THE army ambulance" said DR..
Dalton TO a member of the hospital
staff. could be so adapted that pa
tients would not have to arrive at the
hospital In the condition OF this man"
The physician to whom DIR. Dalton
spoke mentioned the fact TO the medi-
cal board. II requested DR.. Dalton to
give his views on the subject, and, az
a result. there Is a record on the min
utes of the meeting OF the New York
Hospital Board In 1869 which reads:
1.-THE visiting committee were directed
10 procure for the hospital an ambu-
lance Of the most improved construc-
ton"
Meanwhile. O. w. Brennan. Commits
sioner Of Charities, had heard Of DR..
Dalton's plan. and requested him ito
devise for Bellevue Hospital a code of
rules for an ambulance system for the
prompt and careful removal OF the
sick and wounded" That report Is
still 20 be found In the Bellevue re-
cords.
All the essentials of the ambulance
service as II exists to-day are outlined
IN Or. DaltOn'a report, which furnishes
all necessary details FOR the formation
N a complete system, even 20 descfib-
ing the sort n medicines and instru-
menfs which the ambulance surgeon
ia 10 carry With him ia hig safchel
The nfft confederation ~ me city
ambulance a. designed ~ ~. Dalton,
y speed. Ihe effectiveness 81 the fqr-