Dr Patay's medical kit with complete set of emergency surgical instruments

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This medical kit of the French Society for the Relief of the Wounded belonged to Dr. Camille Patay (1840-1893). The case contains three large amputation knives, scalpels, scrapers, probes, trocars and needles, an amputation tourniquet, a saw, a drill bit, and a Garangeot spanner used for dental extraction. Each instrument has an ebony handle, the case is made of mahogany, and the corners and lock are made of brass. These tools give an idea of the action of the flying ambulances, which remained as close as possible to the columns engaged in combat.

Imagined under Napoleon I, the ambulance is a concept created by the French surgeon Dominique-Jean Larrey (1766-1842). He was a forerunner in the field of battlefield casualty care and practised treatment in the field as soon as possible. Flying ambulances enabled two main actions that are still valid today: firstly, pre-hospital stabilisation, which enables the victim to be stabilised before being evacuated. In the absence of anaesthesia, early amputations are still widespread and preferred on the battlefield. This was to prevent bacterial contamination when antibiotics did not yet exist. Amputations were carried out before the casualty was evacuated because of the severity of his wounds, the high risk of gangrene and to increase the casualty's chances of survival. The victim was then taken to a health centre.

The representation of the Red Cross as a signal of neutrality from the 1870s onwards greatly facilitated the work of doctors: the first aid stations thus indicated allowed for safer, faster and more effective intervention.

Credits

Surgical box of the French Society for the Relief of the Wounded in London given to Dr Camille Patay. Dated between 1860 and 1875. Donation of Max Patay. Entered the collections in 1988 © International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum