A HISTORY OF MEDICINE
the fortunes of his tragic royal master. Mention has also been
made of the pioneer work of Sir John Pringle in the interests
of military hygiene, and of certain distinguished surgeons, such
as John Hunter and Charles Bell, who added to their civilian
experience by a period of military service or by a visit to some
centre of warfare.
Baron Larrey and the Practice of Military Surgery
The war which marked the opening* years of the nineteenth
century acted as a strong stimulus to surgical advance. The
surgery of the battlefield had made little progress since the time
of Ambroise Par6. Now another great French military surgeon
appeared on the scene and achieved immortal fame. This was
Baron Larrey, who took part in all Napoleon's campaigns, acted
as chief surgeon to the army, and won the emperor's admiration
and friendship.
DOMINIQUE JEAN LARREY (1766-18412) was a native of Baudean
in the Pyrenees. When he was a boy his father died and he
was brought up by an uncle, an army surgeon in charge of the
hospital at Toulouse. There Larrey engaged in the study of
medicine, and then, entering the navy as surgeon to a frigate
Vigilante, he narrowly escaped shipwreck off the stormy coast of
Newfoundland. The voyage lasted seven months, and afforded
the young surgeon the opportunity of studying mal de mer and
scurvy, as well as the scenery, the climate, the birds and animals,
and the native customs of this part of the New World, On his
return to France he studied in Paris at the Hotel-Dicu.1 Among
his patients were some of the victims of the Revolution, of which
he was an eye-witness.
In 1792 war broke out, and Larrey at once entered the army,
and commenced the work for which he was so admirably fitted.2
It was at this early stage of his career, when he was with the
army of the Rhine, that he introduced his " ambulances volantes."
These were light, two-wheeled, well sprung vehicles, each drawn
by two horses (Plate Lxvn). They could readily be rushed up to
the front line, where no heavy ambulance could be taken, and
it was thus possible to collect and deal with the wounded rapidly.3
1 F. C. Stewart, The Hospitals and Surgeon? of Paris, 1843, p. 309
* P. E. Bechet, " Dominique Jean Larrey/* Ann. Med. Hist., 1937, vol. ix. p. 428
* E. R, Wiese, "Larrey, Napoleon's Chief Surgeon," Ann, Med. Hist.> 1939, vol. L
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