The New Student's Reference Work/Ambulance

Am'bulance, a name applied to the covered wagons used in our large cities to convey the wounded and sick to the hospitals. Strictly, it means a movable hospital attached to an army in the field, to afford early help to the wounded in battle. It was introduced by the surgeon Larrey, into the French army in 1792. Before that, wounded soldiers were either carried to the rear by their comrades, or left uncared for, sometimes until a day after the battle. The usual working of an ambulance during a battle is as follows: The field station is usually just in rear of the troops, and therefore under fire; the wounded are there treated hastily, then carried on stretchers to the transfer station, which is out of rifle range. Here they are put into ambulance wagons and driven to the dressing station, out of artillery range, where the wounds are dressed, and the sufferers are finally taken to the field-hospital.