On the Geneva Convention of 1864 : in relation to the aid afforded by volunteer societies to sick and wounded soldiers during the late Franco-German War, with a glance at the proper functions of national aid societies, particularly the British Aid Society, in the future : a lecture delivered at the Royal United Service Institution.

  • Longmore, Sir Thomas, 1816-1895.
Date:
[1872]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the Geneva Convention of 1864 : in relation to the aid afforded by volunteer societies to sick and wounded soldiers during the late Franco-German War, with a glance at the proper functions of national aid societies, particularly the British Aid Society, in the future : a lecture delivered at the Royal United Service Institution. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    {For private ci renin I ion only.) LECTURE. Friday, April 12th, 1872. Colonel the Hon. CHARLES H. LINDSAY, M.P., in the Chair. ON THE GENEVA CONVENTION OP 1864, IN RELATION TO THE AID AFFORDED BY VOLUNTEER SOCIETIES TO SICK AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS DURING THE LATE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR, WITH A GLANCE AT THE PROPER FUNCTIONS OF NATIONAL AID-SOCIETIES, PARTICULARLY THE BRITISH AID-SOCIETY, IN THE FUTURE. By Deputy Inspector-General T. Longmoee, C.B., Professor of Military Surgery at the Army Medical School, Netley ; and delivered, in his unavoidable absence, by Deputy Inspector-General Maclean, C.B. The origin of my having the honour of addressing you to-day was an accidental conversation with Captain Burgess, the excellent Secretary of this Institution, during our autumn holiday last year in Dorsetshire. Some remarks which I then made to him respecting a prevalent mis- apprehension of the terms of the Geneva Convention, led him to suggest that it might be of use were I to make them more widely known through an address in this theatre. I did not at that time consider the matter one of sufficient importance to occupy the time of an audience at the Royal United Service Institution, more especially as I had already attempted to explain the Articles of the Convention shortly after the Treaty was concluded; but circumstances have since changed my impressions on this point, and it now appears to me, and it has appeared to some others, including the Director-General of the Army Medical Department, that a few public remarks on the subject may probably lead to some good. I myself have been led to this conclusion from observing in various articles in the newspaper press, but more particularly in the published replies to a series of questions issued by the British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War, sentiments very generally expressed concerning the Geneva Convention of 1864, the intended modes of applying its Articles, and the immu- nities and privileges agreed to be conferred by it, such as, I am well aware, were never held by those who framed the Convention, and which, indeed, cannot be substantiated by a legitimate interpretation of the Treaty itself. I mention particularly the replies to the Questions put forth by the National Aid-Society, because these replies contain the views of Officers, and others, who acted as members of the Staff of the