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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0158.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 20, 1933 aviation, and realised at once that here was the only solu tion to the problem. In May, 1928, the first Civil Aerial Medical Service in the world was inaugurated at Cloncurry, in Queensland. Dr. K. St. Vincent Welch was appointed the first flying doctor. His plane—appropriately named " The Victory ' a D.H. 50, carrying pilot, doctor, nurse and patient, spread a mantle of safety over an area as large as that of Germany Austria, Switzerland and Denmark, all put to gether. In the same year Dr. Welch -flew 20,000 miles, saw 255 patients, and held 42 consultations at 26 different centres. At first the landing grounds used were of a very makeshift nature, but this was S6011 remedied , that there was not a single mishap during this «arly period is high praise for the pilot and Q.U.A.N.T.A.S., who made them selves responsible for the upkeep of the machine. In November of the same year the central station at Clon curry was equipped, and baby wireless transmitters, with foot-pedalled generators and a sending radius of 600 miles, were installed at isolated places, which had no other means of speedy communication with the Centre. These sets are marvellous in their simplicity and efficiency. At first the home operator had to learn Morse, but recent improve ments enable messages to be tapped on an automatic key board similar to that of a typewriter. The reply is sent direct to the patient by wireless telephone. The set is easy to instal, it costs under £75, and the annual upkeep is about £5. There is always an operator on duty at Cloncurry, and at fixed times every day each station com municates with the Centre, which acts as a test to ensure that the sets are in working order. The following little story illustrates what conditions were like in the past and to what an extent this aerial medical service will alleviate human suffering. During a gold rush some years back a man was thrown off a horse and badly injured. His mates procured a buggy and set out with the patient for the nearest town, some 300 miles distant, where there was a man who might be able to do something for the injured one. This man's name was Mr. F. W. Tuckett, and he had been presented by his fellow- townsmen with the honorary degree of " W.B.L.," which stands for " Whole blooming lot," for Mr. Tuckett was Resident Magistrate, Warden, Commissioner of Roads, Chairman of the Licensing Board, Protector of Aborigines, Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Master of Post and Telegraph Office, and Bush Doctor. There are other reasons besides Poo-Ba's for multiplying offices ; one is shortage of men. Mr. Tuckett examined the patient, and as the injury was beyond his simple knowledge, he got in touch with the local hospital, just over 1,000 miles away. The doctor at the other end prescribed an operation. Mr. Tuckett, with no instruments other than a penknife and a razor, and no anaesthetics or drugs except permanganate of potash, then proceeded to do the operation himself, all the time working on instructions which he received over the wireless from a doctor 1,250 miles distant. The opera tion was successful, though the patient died soon after Sketch map showing the area covered by the aerial ambulance service, and also the proposed areas. from malaria, but his sufferings during the actual time of the operation can best be left to the imagination. The Flying Doctor administers first aid, conducts opera tions on the spot if necessary, conveys patients to hospital, and flies over and consults other doctors in less sparsely settled districts. The initial experiment has proved an outstanding success, and it is hoped to establish in the near future a number of similar bases. Six such bases would be sufficient to practically cover the whole of the vast interior, which, theoretically at any rate, could be worked by six doctors. At present the expenses are met by the Australian Inland Mission, subscriptions from em ployers and employees, Local Committees and Societies, private donations and Government subsidies. To increase the efficiency of the service in the future, Dr. VV. D. Walker, B.Sc, M.D., B.S., has come over to England to study the aviation side of medicine, and he is at present attached to the R.A.F. station at Digby, where, among other things, he is also learning to fly, and hopes to become a proficient pilot before returning to Australia. This medical air service is probably the most useful service which aviation has rendered to mankind. It has annihilated distance, has banished isolation, and has been described as one of the greatest advances in public health in this country. Here, then, is concrete evidence that tins so-called menace to the peace of mankind, and to the use ful advance of civilisation, has in the arid wastes of a great and spacious continent, made sparsely populated areas safe for the wives and children of pioneers, and home life, which is the very essence of a country's health and prosperity, is being made the joy of life where before it was a burden of anxiety and suffering. ••• :• . : . •. • . A PATIENT BEING PLACED IN THE A.I.M. AMBULANCE PLANE : A striking contrast to the Camel ambulance transport, used in the early days, shown on the preceding page- 736
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