††††An ambulance is a vehicle for taking the sick or injured to hospital.
The ambulance was invented in 1792 by a French surgeon, Dominique-Jean Larrey, who introduced a light, well-sprung vehicle that could be harnessed to a pair of horses to take the wounded to hospital. It replaced the bumpy carts, drawn by men or horses, which had been used previously. Eighty years later the ambulance was used for civilians in Margate, England.
Modern ambulances are fast and comfortable. They carry people on stretchers and are equipped with oxygen and machines that are used to restart the hearts of heart attack victims.
Air ambulances are aeroplanes or helicopters fitted out to carry patients. They are used particularly in remote areas where people live a long way from the nearest hospital.
