Stretcher and its bearers over the years

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Stretcher is an unassuming medical transportation device. It is unassuming, as it lays hidden between the patient and the stretcher-bearer. Stretcher bearers also are often unsung. Yet stretchers and bearers come to rescue when we need to transport sick or injured. Stretchers have evolved, and so have its bearers. Postage stamps are a testimony to this change. This blog is in-fact a philatelic ode to the stretcher and its bearers.

The first stretcher

First description of a stretcher comes from France, in late 14th century. This was a simple wooden frame with a cloth, and used by mountaineers to carry injured. It is likely that such simple stretchers were is use in many other parts of the world.

It was only in 18th-19th century, this became a medical transportation device. Stretchers owe their growth to the ambulances. Earliest horse driven ambulances evolved in late 1850s, and convenience of a stretcher was probably not far behind.

Folding stretcher

Sometime in early 19th century, the stretchers were slowly converting themselves, from folded to flat. While the folded ones were convenient to store, but inconvenient in use. Four bearers had to hold the poles at its four ends, so as to stretch it well. Else the stretcher-bed would sag, something not so good for the injured spine. Such stretchers are rarely used today, except in disaster settings.

Flat-beds

In contrast, the flat bed-stretchers have a frame, and needs only two bearers, one at each end. Such stretchers can also have a mattress, and a provision for an elevated head-end.

With flat stretchers, may field ambulances also evolved. The stretchers were placed on a frame inside the ambulance. The frame had to be slightly longer and wider than the stretcher. As wars and wounded were plenty, some ambulances could carry more than one stretcher.

Frames and holds for the bearer

Early flat stretchers were simple, and had holds only at the two ends. There were no side rails either. As concerns for safety and convenience grew, stretchers also evolved

A flat stretcher with side holds is helpful for the bearers. A curved foot-end is also a better hold than a jutting pole. Amongst civilian population, stretcher bearers were no longer only carrying the victim. They were replaced by paramedics, who would carry as well as provide first aid.

Guerney – A stretcher on wheels

Simple field stretchers did not have any wheels. The first wheeled stretchers were designed in 1930s. While, this design of a stretcher that was placed on a frame with wheels was useful inside a hospital, it was difficult to fit such stretchers in field ambulances.

A collapse frame wheeled stretcher evolved in 1960s, and its use was widespread by 1980s. More recent postage stamps now invariably have such a stretcher on wheels.

Modern stretchers are light in weight and use rubber and plastic to achieving this. They have adjustable headrests, framework, and grips that reduce the weight while making the device more comfortable to handle. Antibacterial and waterproof mattresses are easy to clean and support medical hygiene standards. They can move injured or sick, quickly in and out of ambulances.

An ode to the stretcher bearers

“STRETCHER! A wounded soldier’s survival depended on the stretcher bearers, unarmed, searching for the shouts and agonizing screams of their brothers in arms….”

This is one of the statements from a book-review of The Stretcher Bearers a book on the horrors of world war, from the perspective of a stretcher bearer. Wounded soldiers often need to be carried in difficult situations. The difficulties included ongoing war, terrain, and large number of casualties. Stretcher bearers would bring wounded, near-dead and even dead soldiers to the field hospitals, located behind the army ranks.

Stretcher bearers remain unsung heroes especially in military warfare. They are not regular combatants. Often these are auxiliary medical personnel or even from the volunteer agencies. Many such personnel carry a risk of death or capture. In one such note from 1917, 42 out of 48 stretcher bearers in a unit perished. To compensate, prisoners of war were put to this task.

Throughout world wars stretcher bearers did not have the same rights as the combatants in the armed forces. It was only in 1949, that these were accorded the same protection as the combatants under Geneva conventions.

Famous stretcher bearers

Many famous personalities volunteered during conflict, and took up the task of a stretcher bearer. There is one Mahatma Gandhi stamp (internet image above) which identifies him as a stretcher bearer. He engaged in the Indian stretcher bearer corps in 1900 and 1906 in South Africa. In addition to Gandhi, famous poet Ernest Hemingway was a stretcher bearer during first world war.

In such difficult field situations, the bearers are instrumental in making a move. It takes a team of at-least two-three individuals to evacuate one. Many in-conflict evacuations are done by the armies, or by agencies such as Red-cross. An recruitment notice for a stretcher bearer by MSF asks for the following competencies: commitment, flexibility, stress-management, teamwork and service. A lot to ask for, and this ask deserves a recognition as well. Stretcher bearers are after-all life-savers.