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Reference Article - REFLECTIONS: Accidental Death and Disability: An American Tragedy. International Journal of Paramedicine. 2023 Jan;1:43-69. Retrieved from https://internationaljournalofparamedicine.com/index.php/ijop/article/view/2426
People have been helping their friends and strangers in need of medical care for centuries. Organized systems of care go back to the times of Napoleon's surgeon, Dominique-Jean Larrey, who developed the ambulance volantes ("Flying ambulances").(1) In the United States, the Civil War saw the development by Dr. Jonathan Letterman of organized care of wounded in the field, transporting them from the field in ambulances to field hospitals.(2) Since the start of the 20th century, motorized ve-hicles and air ambulances have been used increasingly to care for those injured. The military medics, throughout World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam war have demonstrated significant improvements in morbidity and moryality.
In spite of improvement in military care, similar advancements in the civilian response to injuries were limited. The publication of Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society by the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council in 1966 was prompted by those improvements in military care and a desire to translate those capabilities into the civilian community. This document was really the first time that we looked as a nation at care of the injured outside of the military setting. Although it focused on victims of motor vehicle crashes, the report also addressed injuries from other mecha-nisms, including the industrial setting. In addition to serving as a seminal document leading to improvements in EMS, the paper
Language: en |