THE field ambulance 1• is a unique medical arrangement, so constituted that, as a whole, it can establish itself quickly in any selected place, but yet capable of allocating several of its parts to carry on a separate, though not independent existence, and perform duties in different localities. Such mobility and elasticity is not only used to full advantage, but sometimes a little imposed upon by the division; hence a field ambulance has been known, at one and the same time, to be engaged in such manifold employment as running a rest station, a laundry, art advance dressing station and a respirator factory. Its very adaptability to meet conditions in the field renders it susceptible to other than its normal activity of clearing the line of sick and wounded. The plan that contrives to allow such reaction to circumstances deserves examination.
 

The task of the field ambulance is twofold; not only must it render the care and treatment urgently required, but must also convey casualties from the regimental aid posts and the line generally to its main dressing station for attention.

 

(1 A field ambulance, termed by our American allies a field hospital,must not be confused with an ambulance wagon.)

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In order to meet this double demand a cleavage into medical and transport sides is made, these being respectively known as tent and bearer divisions. 

Such a separation, although sufficient to provide a field hospital. and afford proper transportation of the wounded to it, yet lacks a certain freedom to meet the changing position of warfare. For example, the tent division might occupy a suitable place to give early attention to casualties brought from the trenches, but with a change in the line, resulting in more distant fighting, it loses close contact, and some intervening station becomes necessary. Thus it occurs that to enable the field ambulance to work in echelon the tent and bearer divisions are
again split into three parts called subdivisions "A," "B" and "C."

The medical personnel, consisting of 9 medical officers, I of whom commands, 1 quartermaster and 182 non-commissioned officers and men, may thus be shown (Fig. 8) as first separated into tent and  bearer divisions. The former, on the left of the figure, has 6 medical officers, I quartermaster and 58 other ranks; while the latter, on the right, has 3 medical officers and 124 other ranks. Each of these main divisions being further arranged in three subdivisions, the personnel of each is indicated. The combination of a tent subdivision and a bearer subdivision is called a section, and, therefore, as shown in the figure, we have sections "A," "B" and "c" each made up of a medical linked to a transport subdivision.

The elasticity of the whole will be appreciated when the easy interlocking permitted by the composition of the several segments is understood.