Royal Humane Society
The Royal Humane Society was founded in England in 1774 as the Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Drowned (German: Society for the rescue of people who appear to have drowned) . The purpose of the association was the publicly effective dissemination of first aid measures in the case of drowning and the investigation of possibilities of resuscitation of drowned people using suitable aids.
The physician William Hawes (1736-1808) became famous in 1773 for his efforts to convince the public of the possibilities of resuscitating drowned people using suitable aids. For a year he paid a premium out of his own pocket to those who brought him a lifeless body rescued from the water within a certain period of time. Thomas Cogan (1736-1818), also a doctor, supported him in this. During a stay in Amsterdam , where a society for saving lives in the event of accidents in the water had been founded in 1767, he had taken an interest in the same matter.
In the summer of 1774 both brought each 15 friends to the inaugural meeting in the Chapter coffee house in the vicinity of St Paul's Cathedral with. Headquartered in Trafalgar Square , London, the company has over 280 outposts with lifesaving devices in the UK . The first branch is the "Receiving House" in London's Hyde Park , north of the Serpentine Lake , which was built in 1794 on one of George III's. provided property had been built.
Boaters and seafarers are encouraged to help swimmers, and in winter "ice-men" are sent to various ice rinks in London. Society gives monetary and honorary prizes to people who have saved or tried to save drowning people. It also honors “all cases of extraordinary courage in rescuing or attempting to rescue asphyxiants in mines, wells or silos” and awards swimming prizes to public schools and for training measures on ships. Since 1813 the "Stanhope Gold Medal" has been awarded for the greatest bravery of the year. In the course of 1905, 843 people were honored for saving 947 drowning accidents. Society maintains itself through the support of private individuals.
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Individual evidence
- ↑ New Scientist, Vol. 193 No. 2586 (13-19 Jan 2007), p. 50