Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-02
AMBULANCE SERVICE IN
PAST AND At PRESENT
First Originated from EXigen-
cies of War-American Serv.
ice Organized in 1864 Dur
;ng Civil War--In New York
More Relief Given Every
Year.

The war has created a great demand
for better ambulances, so that one out
come is Britain's prize offer for the best
model, an offer that is dra wing consid-
era pie attention 10 the field OF service.
Like the Crimean and Civil Wars, this
one will mark an improvement in hos
pital transportation. the chief import
ance of which lies not in army ambu-
| lancing in occasional wars. but in that
steady, civil, hospital service that we
have always with us. AS this steady
service is on the eve of being greatly
influenced. a review. as 1t has been and
is now is especially apropos.
The ambulance, which is now famil
lar and essential feature Of municipal
I welfare in times of peace. originated
and that not long aSo-fro.n the eEigen-
cies Of war. The oriein of the ambu-
lance service now prevailing only dates
from the last decade of the eighteenth
century. Before that time, TO facilities
were provided for the removal Of the
wounded during a battle and aid often
came day late. 1t seems curious that,
ALTHOUGH war is as old as the world,
systematized ambulancins is compare
lively new, In 1892 Il surgeon, Larrey,
introduced 2 system of ambulances that
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DHTinc tha "'F' var
AmiH;i3nfa @."N .e. gas ~ thiS tiWe Z
res o.l'1cf Z tnir AZ g:if.'ta. no III ts4e
Civil War this service att@in+ 4 yer"
complete organize ti0n. especially from
March. 1861 when Congress passed an
act entitled "An act 70 establish a uni
form system o. anhullnoes IN the Unit
az states" = definite and single system
IF arrangement for Ill the armies Of the
United States in field From this organ
izat!on grew that of the present day
city emergency service, which dates
from 1869, when Or. Edward p. Dalton
lnaug nrateo thc work az me bellr'ue
! HoSp''ai IN New ORR ci,S. hr, Da,toh
had heeeh N chaf@e OF me hela ahlou-
iHhce CORPS 81 we army OF 'he fototfiac
curing the 'iNli war ana "heIl he was
ieoues1eh 70 scf!hit piar oi a'hou-
.ance oneHation for New fofk' ne was
guided largely D" MS hattleneld expef-
fence The methods 1nstaiied then nave
served practicrly unchanceu curing
the forty-ood years since; IN TACT tney
have served as pattern that mas been
widely copied Throughout the country.
IT was not until ten years after THIS
installation in New York that the Brit
ish Ambulance Association OF ST. John
Of Jerusalem founded similar system
in England for the purpose OF emerg-
ency relief In city accidents, with corps
in all the large towns and also IN Cam
ada. Australia, and India, all under the
t;op Tn tho United States hoveyer