From
Wikipedia:
Until the middle of the
19th century, there were no organized and well-established
army nursing systems for casualties and no safe and
protected institutions to accommodate and treat those who
were wounded on the battlefield. In June 1859, the Swiss
businessman Henry Dunant traveled to Italy to meet French
emperor Napoléon III with the intention of discussing
difficulties in conducting business in Algeria, at that time
occupied by France. When he arrived in the small town of
Solferino on the evening of June 24, he witnessed the Battle
of Solferino, an engagement in the Austro-Sardinian War. In
a single day, about 40,000 soldiers on both sides died or
were left wounded on the field. Henry Dunant was shocked by
the terrible aftermath of the battle, the suffering of the
wounded soldiers, and the near-total lack of medical
attendance and basic care. He completely abandoned the
original intent of his trip and for several days he devoted
himself to helping with the treatment and care for the
wounded. He succeeded in organizing an overwhelming level of
relief assistance by motivating the local population to aid
without discrimination. Back in his home in Geneva, he
decided to write a book entitled A Memory of Solferino which
he published with his own money in 1862. He sent copies of
the book to leading political and military figures
throughout Europe. In addition to penning a vivid
description of his experiences in Solferino in 1859, he
explicitly advocated the formation of national voluntary
relief organizations to help nurse wounded soldiers in the
case of war. In addition, he called for the development of
international treaties to guarantee the protection of
neutral medics and field hospitals for soldiers wounded on
the battlefield.
The Red Cross flag is not
to be confused with the St George's Cross which is the flag
of England, Barcelona, Freiburg, and several other places.
In order to avoid this confusion the protected symbol is
sometimes referred to as the "Greek Red Cross"; that term is
also used in United States law to describe the Red Cross.
The red cross of the St George cross extends to the edge of
the flag, whereas the red cross on the Red Cross flag does
not.
The Red Cross flag is often confused with the Flag of
Switzerland which is the opposite of it. In 1906, to put an
end to the argument of Turkey that the flag took its roots
from Christianity, it was decided to promote officially the
idea that the Red Cross flag had been formed by reversing
the federal colours of Switzerland, although no clear
evidence of this origin had ever been found.
