terrorism Medical planning and preparation for disaster Medical planning and preparation for terrorism Medical recovery from disaster Medical recovery from terrorism Medical response to disaster Medical response to terrorism Medical response to weapons of mass destruction Medical surge, surge capacity and triage Psychosocial implications of disaster Psychosocial implications of terrorism Psychosocial triage Timeline 1755 - 1755 Lisbon Earthquake "What now? We bury the dead and heal the living." 1812 – Napoleonic wars give rise to the military medical practice of triage in an effort to sort wounded soldiers in those to receive medical treatment and return to battle and those whose injuries are non-survivable. Dominique-Jean Larrey, a surgeon in the French emperor's army, not only conceives of taking care of the wounded on the battlefield, but creates the concept of ambulances, collecting the wounded in horse-drawn wagons and taking them to military hospitals. 1863 – International Red Cross founded in Geneva, Switzerland. 1873 – Clara Barton starts organization of the American Red Cross, drawing on her experiences during the American Civil War. 1881 – First American Red Cross chapter founded in Dansville, New York. 1937 – President Franklin Roosevelt makes a public request by commercial radio for medical aid following a natural gas explosion in New London, Texas. This is the first presidential request for disaster medical assistance in United States history. 1955 – Col. Karl H. Houghton, M.D. addresses a convention of military surgeons and introduces the concept of "disaster medicine." 1959 – Col. Joseph R. Schaeffer, M.D., reflecting the growing national concern over nuclear attacks on the United States civilian population, initiates training for civilian physicians in the treatment of mass casualties for the effects of weapons of mass destruction creating the concept of medical surge capacity. 1961 – The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American College of Surgeons, the United States Public Health Service, the United States Office of Civil Defense and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare join Schaeffer in advancing civilian physician training for mass casualty and weapons of mass destruction treatment. 1962 – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) publishes an official disaster medicine manual edited by Schaeffer. 1984 – The United States Public Health Service forms the first federal disaster medical response team in Washington, D.C., designated PHS-1. 1986 – The United States Public Health System creates the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to provide disaster healthcare through National