the bottom line

life in the fast lane

The 411 on 911By Brian McMahon

a hearse with no nameLong before ambulances hit the scene, hearses serve as the first responders to emergencies. The people who decide if a critically ill patient goes to the hos-pital or the morgue are, for the most part, funeral directors and morticians.

Doctors get on boarD new york city’s Bellevue hospital becomes the first hospital to put doctors in ambulances, which also come equipped with tourniquets, splints, bandages, handcuffs, a straitjacket, and a quart of brandy.

the UniteD states becomes less DangeroUs than VietnamThe National Academy of Sciences publishes a landmark study, “Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society,” which exposes the fact that U.S. soldiers in Vietnam are more likely to survive an injury than drivers on American highways. The study promps Congress to create the Department of Transportation, which regulates mobile emergency services across the country.

americans learn to Dial 9-1-1In conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T announces that 9-1-1 will be the new number for emergency services everywhere in the United States. The digits are chosen because they’re easy to memorize, and because 9 and 1 are far apart on the dial of a rotary phone, making misdials less likely.

help from aboVeAs part of a new government program, critically ill patients in remote areas of the United States are transported to hospitals in military helicopters. Many of the pilots are returning Vietnam vets, some of whom can’t get enough action. After dropping off patients, a few pilots pull dangerous stunts, such as landing in football stadiums, flying under bridges, and buzzing neighborhood pools.

man takes Directions from machine, with mixeD resUltsGlobal Positioning Systems quickly become standard in ambulances across the coun-try. But during the next few years, the nov-elty of GPS fades. Several accounts emerge of the devices giving faulty directions, leading ambulance drivers minutes—or even hours—off course. (although GPS is still widely used today, most ambulances also keep good, old-fashion neighborhood maps in the front seat, just in case.)

trUly mobile UploaDs More and more ambulances begin using cell phones to transmit their patients’ EKG heart-monitor readings to Er doctors before they reach the hospital. The new technology sig-nificantly improves the time it takes to diagnose and treat heart-attack patients, but unfortunately, it’s also vulnerable to the occasional, ill-timed dropped call.

1968

2001 2005

1970

1869 Pre-1869

1966

... “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan, “My Girl” by otis redding, and “The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey robinson and the Miracles.

19sept-oct 2010 mentalfloss.com 19mentalfloss.com