From Horse-drawn to Helicopters - EMS Museum

From Horse-drawn to Hospitals on Wheels

The idea of transporting the sick and injured to a place where the patient can receive medical care is not a new one. The beginning of the ambulance story is tightly woven with the history of war. As with many other areas of medicine, the greatest innovations in patient transportation have come about to alleviate suffering on the battlefield.

The Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and many other civilizations constructed special litters to move wounded soldiers from where they had fallen to camps where they could be patched up and returned home. During the Crusades in the 11th century, the Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Knights of St. John) would treat injured soldiers in dedicated buildings for healing. These hospitals formed the foundation of modern medicine by creating a space dedicated to caring for the sick and providing treatment and recovery space. When soldiers returned from the Crusades they brought the hospital concept with them.

Quickly hospitals popped up over Europe but the next major innovation in patient care wouldn’t take place until the 18th century when ambulances (as we think of them today) were developed.

Back to Collections

The Military Birth of the Ambulance

The American Civil War brought on many advancements in horse drawn patient transport. Dr. Edward B. Dalton, a surgeon in the Army of the Potomac, noticed that traditional stretchers, horse-drawn carts, and two-wheeled wagons caused more damage to already wounded soldiers. His new horse drawn ambulances sheltered patients with a hard roof and a suspension system reduced injury during transportation to field hospitals.

The First Civilian Ambulance Corps in the United States (1869)

After the war, Dr. Dalton continued to improve on his original ambulance design with Bellevue Hospital in New York City. On June 30, 1869, the Medical Board of Bellevue Hospital held the first field examination for ambulance surgeons and ushered in the first municipal ambulance service in the United States.

Electric Ambulance (1909)

While electric ambulances seem to be a new invention that is slowly making its way into the mainstream, they have been part of EMS history for over 100 years. In 1909, the Lying-In Hospital of the City of New York used to transport expectant mothers in an electric ambulance that is more akin to the modern day EMS electric golf carts. Electric ambulances have evolved with technological advances, and in August 2012, the Scottish Ambulance Service unveiled the first electric ambulance of the modern era, used to transport non-emergency medical patients.

The War Years (1915-1945)

Throughout the First and Second World Wars, large strides were made in emergency treatment. New ambulance designs and response procedures ensured more wounded were removed to field hospitals and survived the horrific injuries they suffered on the battlefields. Things like shocks, swinging cots and on board medical equipment started to make regular appearances in ambulances designed and built during the World Wars.

Just like the years after the Civil War, these advances in military ambulances quickly made their way into the civilian service after the medics returned home from the front.

Funeral Homes and Volunteer Rescue Corps

Since the establishment of community ‘life saving crews’ in the 1920’s funeral homes donated ambulances, or in some cases managed ambulance dispatches, for their communities. Hearses and ambulances generally required the same things from a manufacturing standpoint and most companies produced both ambulances and hearses until the adoption of the Modular and Van ambulances.

Improvements in Emergency Patient Transport

The Miller-Meteor division of the Wayne Corp (Ohio) produced some of the most iconic mid-century ambulances. The division built exclusively on Cadillac commercial chassis and produced a record breaking number of hearses and ambulances from the 1950s to the 1980s, when the company yielded to the more popular modular and van style ambulance designs.

One of the most famous models, the Criterion, featured a walk through partition between the patients’ compartment and EMS professionals’ seats, as well as lots of hidden compartments for supplies. Another famous Miller-Meteor is a 1959 ambulance that was converted into the Ecto-1 from the 1980’s classic film The Ghostbusters.

The Emergency Medical Service Field

By the end of the 20th century, ambulances were more equipped to provide care and treatment to patients during transport. In the 1970’s ambulance manufacturers introduced the walk through partition between the patients’ compartment and EMS professionals’ seats to allow for more direct patient care. By the 1980’s and 1990’s standard life saving equipment like state of the art defibrillators, portable oxygen, and other life saving equipment were standard on all ambulances in the United States.

21st Century Mobile Units

Today, ambulances and mobile response units are stocked with modern medical care equipment. Larger units can support mobile operating rooms and recovery facilities; radiology and diagnostic equipment; and room for multiple patients and providers. The future of the Emergency Medical Services will be exciting as medical technologies continue to improve and become more mobile.

Types of Ambulances used in the US

Support Us Today