History Of First Aid

Throughout history, first aid has developed into a major area of knowledge. It was actually as a result of the various wars and battles that were being fought that first aid first came into being. This probably began way back in the earliest times with the Knights Hospitaller. The were the first group that actually specialized in caring for people on the battlefield after they had been seriously injured by an attack. The knights also started another group in the 11th century called the Order of St. John. This group was designed to train people how to specifically care for and treat all the typical injuries on the battlefield. From there, first aid went on to develop into a better and better means of treating the injured in emergency situations.

One of the most famous groups to emerge in our history of first aid was the group of St. John Ambulance. This group began in 1877 and was designed to teach first aid in mining districts and railroad centers. It quickly gained popularity and spread all through Europe and the British Empire. Later in 1859, a man named Henry Dunant from Switzerland helped to put together a small group of villagers who he trained to aid the victims from a historic battle known as the Battle of Solferino. After this battle, a meeting was held by four very powerful nations. The nations met in Geneva and organized a group which is widely known today as the Red Cross. First aid then became a household term that is often associated with the Red Cross and with any kind of emergency treatments in the case of wars or other natural disasters. Clara Barton is cited as the person to have organized the American Red Cross. Her uncompromising spirit has helped to make first aid what it is today.

The developments that have come in the science of first aid were always fueled by the imperative that came with a large war and with the need to help victims who suffered bad injuries. One war which was most notable to the development of first aid was the American Civil War. Many soldiers suffered from hearing problems after the explosion of bombs near their heads and so the introduction of hearing first aid in history began.

Another type of first aid was the introduction of drowning first aid in history and this began after a large number of flooding disasters were seen to take the lives of many victims. Besides these there have been hurricane first aid and tornado first aid as well. There are many derivatives that exist today as the history of first aid has come a long way. Life is precious and the history of first aid has certainly made that abundantly clear.