A Brief History of First Aid

Here's a brief history of first aid so you can sound really smart at your next party.

It all started in the 11th century when a group of knights founded The Order of St. John, to teach other knights how to treat battlefield injuries.

In 1877 St. John Ambulance was formed in the U.K. to teach first aid in the cities. They coined the phrase 'First Aid'. Before long their training spread throughout Europe.

Things were fine for a while but there was no organized system for treating those wounded on the battlefield.

Not until 1859 when a Swiss businessman, Henry Dunant, witnessed one of the bloodiest battles of the Austro-Sardinian War. Over 40,000 men in a single day wounded or killed.

He was so overwhelmed by the suffering that he wrote a book, A Memory of Solferino. He sent his book to every military and political figure he could find calling for the formation of national voluntary relief organizations to help with the wounded.

His voice was heard and on February 9th, 1863 the 'Committee of Five', as they were called (the five most prominent families in Geneva at the time), formed the International Committee of the Red Cross. The history of The Red Cross is the history of first aid and a remarkable story itself.

The International Committee of The Red Cross

The International Red Cross is really a collection of several organizations united through basic common principles and ideals. The ICRC is the oldest and most respected earning three Noble Peace Prizes, 1917, 1944, and 1963.

After that first meeting in 1863 things began to snowball. Later that same year 36 delegates met for the next conference. Just one year later Durant and his group invited the European countries along with the United States, Mexico and Brazil to join. Together they adopted the very first Geneva Convention. How cool is that?

When World War I started the ICRC faced its first big challenge. It set up the International Prisoner of War (POW) Agency. They transferred over 20 million letters and messages, 1.9 million parcels, and about 18 million Swiss francs. Because of the agency over 200,000 prisoners were exchanged, released and allowed to return home.

During the war they also monitored the compliance of the Geneva Convention and reported violations to the respective country.

When chemical gas was introduced during WWI the ICRC protested loudly. As a direct consequence the ICRC added an additional protocol to the first Geneva Convention and outlawed the use of suffocating or poisonous gases and biological agents as weapons.

During the Second World War the ICRC performed the same functions. The lessons learned in WWI were applied and the organization grew. Of course in this war they faced a whole new set of challenges. Germany was in charge of the German Red Cross and they refused to comply with the laws of the Geneva Convention. Moreover, the Soviet Union and Japan were not part of the Geneva Convention and did not have to abide by its laws.

During the war the ICRC tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with Nazi Germany about the treatment of detainees in the concentration camps. It also failed to develop a response to reliable information about the extermination camps and the mass killings of European Jews. This is still considered the greatest failure of the ICRC in its history of first aid.

Here's something you're not going to believe. In March 1945, the Nazis agreed to allow ICRC delegates to visit the camps under one condition, they had to remain in the camps until the end of the war! Ten delegates agreed and spent the remainder of the war in the concentration camps.

In one incident an ICRC delegate saved the lives of 60,000 inmates by alerting the Americans to the forced eviction (or blasting) of the Mauthausen-Gusen Camps.

The ICRC, for risking the neutrality of the organization, condemned his action. But they eventually forgave him, in 1990! A sobering step in the history of first aid

An Indomitable Spirit

Over in Europe the ICRC was growing into a formidable organization. In the US when it comes to our history of first aid. The honor of organizing the American Red Cross belongs to one woman, Clara Barton.

Clara, teacher, nurse, humanitarian and all around amazing person was born to a very progressive family for its time. She developed a love of nursing at an early age.

During the civil war Clara was given a pass to travel with the ambulances to provide comfort to the wounded.

Unbelievably brave she was also given permission to travel behind the lines to some of the most grizzly of battlefields bringing medical supplies and comfort to the wounded.

After the war, President Lincoln placed Clara in charge of the search for the missing men of the Union Army. She traced the fate of over 30,000 men.

Clara delivered lectures on her war experiences, hung out with Susan B. Anthony, Fredrick Douglass and became an activist for black civil rights.

After years of dedicated service Clara was finally worn out. Her doctor demanded immediate rest and shipped her off to Europe to recuperate.

She, of course, became involved with the ICRC and promptly returns to the United States determined to start the American Red Cross.

She eventually convinced President Garfield that the American Red Cross could respond to natural disasters as well as wartime causalities. He agreed and on May 21, 1881 the American Red Cross was founded. Their headquarters sits one block from the white house in Washington, DC.

There you go a brief history of first aid, don't you feel smarter?


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