Larrey

Dominique-Jean Larrey (1766–1842) was a French surgeon celebrated for his innovations in military medicine during the Napoleonic Wars. He served as chief surgeon of Napoleon Bonaparte's Grande Armée and became a pivotal figure in the development of modern battlefield care.

Larrey reorganized battlefield medicine by introducing triage, prioritizing treatment for those most likely to benefit and who could be saved, rather than attending to the wounded in the order they arrived. He also pioneered the use of mobile field hospitals, known as ambulances volantes (flying ambulances), which rapidly transported wounded soldiers from the battlefield to surgical centers for treatment.

His approach emphasized speed, humane treatment of soldiers regardless of rank, and standardized surgical procedures. By improving evacuation and care, Larrey sought to reduce preventable deaths and suffering on the battlefield, contributing to a shift toward more systematic and humane military medicine.

After the Napoleonic era, Larrey continued to influence military medicine and held various medical and academic positions in Paris. He authored several surgical treatises and reports on wound management, dissemination of his ideas through professional networks and institutions.

Larrey is widely regarded as a founder of modern military surgery. His concepts of rapid evacuation, triage, and organized field care shaped both military and civilian trauma care for generations, influencing later developments in emergency medicine and disaster response.