On the Geneva Convention of August the 22nd, 1864 : with some account of the national committees formed for aiding in ameliorating the condition of the sick and wounded of armies in time of war : a lecture delivered at the Royal United Service Institution.

  • Longmore, Sir Thomas, 1816-1895.
Date:
[1866]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the Geneva Convention of August the 22nd, 1864 : with some account of the national committees formed for aiding in ameliorating the condition of the sick and wounded of armies in time of war : a lecture delivered at the Royal United Service Institution. 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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    “ The flag and arm-badge shall bear a red cross on a white ground.” Article 8. “ The details of execution of the present Convention shall be regu- lated by the Commanders-in-chief of belligerent armies, according to the instructions of their respective Governments, and in conformity with the general principles laid down in this Convention.” Article 9. “ The high contracting powers have agreed to communicate the present convention to those Governments which have not found it convenient to send plenipotentiaries to the International Conference at Geneva, with an invitation to accede thereto; the protocol is for that purpose left open.” I will now consider these articles separately. The first article naturally provided for the security of the hospitals in which the wounded might happen to be collected. Military hospitals, both those in the field and those of a more permanent kind in rear, were to be recognized as neutral points, and to be safe from attack or disturbance. But as these hospitals were only to be respected for the sake of the wounded contained in them, it became necessary to stipu- late that the presence in them of these sick or wounded was essential for ensuring a title to this consideration. Hospitals and their contents, when unoccupied by patients, would naturally fall under the ordinary rules of war, just as any other buildings or materiel. It became also evident, on discussion, that the stipulated immunity from attack of a hospital might, in certain situations and under certain circumstances, be abused, and it was necessary to provide against such an abuse. A mortar battery might be so placed in rear of a hospital as to be inca- pable of attack so long as the hospital itself had to be respected; or the hospital might be placed in a position of strategical importance, with a military force holding the position, under pretence of guarding the hospital. The restriction that the neutrality wrould cease if the hospital was held by a military force became therefore necessary. Of course a simple guard, for the maintenance of military order and dis- cipline, was not intended to be included in this restriction. Military hospitals, with certain reservation, being thus recognized as neutral, it next became necessary to define the personnel who were to be included in the benefits of this neutrality, and to lay down any restrictions necessary for ensuring that the neutrality should only be applied to the purposes for which it was admitted. In the first place, the neutrality of the hospital personnel was only agreed upon in the interest of the wounded, not for the individual benefit of the persons comprising the personnel; and, in the second place, the interests of every army at large would require that steps should be taken to guard against persons moving among its ranks, and perhaps abusing the opportunity of
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