BARON LARREY. 195 



frost-bites, warm water poultices induce gangrene, 

 while cold and camphorated washes assist in the re- 

 turn of vital activity. 



""After nearly a year's cruise, sailing as far north 

 as Labrador, the ship returned to Brest, where I was 

 discharged. I went directly to Paris, and soon en- 

 tered upon the ' Campaign of the Rhine.' A revolu- 

 tion was developing about Paris, and many wounded 

 in emeutes had to be treated. To acquire experience, 

 I volunteered to serve under Surgeon Desault. In 

 April, 1792, I was appointed Surgeon Major, and 

 joined the army, which was then beyond the Rhine. 

 The first military exploit of the campaign was to cap- 

 ture Spire, a fortified city. The general order was 

 that the hospitals were to be located at a league's dis- 

 tance from the line of battle. This operated so dis- 

 advantageously for the wounded that I got permission 

 to improvise ambulances, each with a corps of young 

 surgeons and soldiers who would go to the front and 

 bring the disabled to a designated place near at hand, 

 where I could amputate, extract missiles, and treat frac- 

 tures while the battle was raging. This was the begin- 

 ning of an ambulance service, which grew into signifi- 

 cant proportions, and which at length embraced two and 

 four-wheeled carriages, drawn by two and four horses, 

 and driven by charioteers, who dashed between con- 

 tending armies, and, gathering loads of the hors da 

 combat, galloped off' to a located ambulance, where 

 the surgeons could work undisturbed, and immediately 

 after a wound was received. This system of ambu- 

 lancing in time became very popular in the French 

 military service. There was a corps of ambulances 

 for each division of the army, each embracing about 

 four hundred men. If a general fell, those near at 



