Introductory address to a course of lectures on forensic medicine delivered at King's College, London / by William Robert Smith.

  • William Edward Smith
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Introductory address to a course of lectures on forensic medicine delivered at King's College, London / by William Robert Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    retained as prisoners of war, nor tlie latter to be taken as prizes of war. The present conditions of modern warfare have very much modified the principle upon which army ambulances were arranged only a few years since—the greatly increased range of rifles and artillery, and consequent extension of the area over which fire is maintained, the suddenness with which armies can be brought into the field, owing to increased facilities of locomotion, the rapidity of their movements, the shortened duration of campaigns, the large number of wounded which have to be dealt with, not alone owing to the destructive qualities of the fire arms but to the large forces present, and the consequent greater proportion of severe wounds, have all necessitated a revision of our ambulances and administration. For any system to be perfect two primary conditions must be fulfilled. 1. Our soldiers fighting for and falling wounded in the cause of our country, have a right to expect and demand that they shall in every sense, under such circumstances, be properly and skilfully cared for. And 2, by the arrangements must be such that the movements of the general commanding shall in no case and under no circum- stances be impeded by the presence of wounded men, but that prompt and effective measures shall at all times be in operation to remove such to the rear. The ambulances must therefore be so organised as to keep up with the troops, and so disposed as in no way to interfere with their movements; they must be capable of meeting the require- ments of an engagement at any moment, and be prepared at all times to advance with the troops.
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