To pop a balloon: aeromedical evacuation in the 1870 siege of Paris.
H. G. Armstrong, in the 3rd edition of his Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine stated: "The first use of air transportation in support of medical activities occurred during the siege of Paris in 1870 when a total of 160 patients were removed from that city by means of an observation balloon." Careful review of the available literature and of reports during and subsequent to that time have offered no corroboration of this statement, whereas the names and missions of some 167 balloonists and passengers are amply documented. An extensive bibliography and footnotes, available upon request from the author, attest to the multiple uses to which this new form of transportation was put; unfortunately, aeromedical evacuation was not one of them.
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D000401:Aircraft; D049672:History, 19th Century; D010297:Paris; D014187:Transportation of Patients; D014857:Warfare