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Visibility of the distinctive emblem on medical establishments, units, and transports

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2010

Gerald C. Cauderay
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Extract

The Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 provide that medical personnel and equipment shall in general be identified by the distinctive emblem of the red cross or red crescent. The Second Geneva Convention, applicable to the victims of conflict at sea, specifies that the exterior surfaces of hospital ships and smaller craft used for medical purposes shall be white and recommends that the parties to the conflict use “the most modern methods” to facilitate identification of medical transports at sea (Art. 43).

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of the Red Cross (1961 - 1997) , Volume 30 , Issue 277 , August 1990 , pp. 295 - 321
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 1990

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References

1 International Review of the Red Cross, No. 405, 05 1936, pp. 408–412 (in French only).Google Scholar

2 Active infrared: means of night observation comprising traditional white light projectors equipped with filters and infrared lenses for observing objects lit by another source. The system uses near infrared radiation (0.75 — 1.2 microns). An active means of observation, the infrared can be detected using special lenses at distances greater than the range of its source. For this reason, and given how inefficient it is compared to modern means of observation, active infrared is practically no longer used by armed forces.

3 Passive infrared—thermal imaging: by this means, the natural or artificial electromagnetic energy emitted in the IR band by objects is transformed into electrical signals which are then used to draw a map of the hot points on the landscape, thus forming an image which can be observed through fieldglasses or on a screen or recorded using special apparatus.

4 Image intensifiers (II): Image intensifiers are electro-optical devices which amplify the light levels of objects lit by low light at night. The main component is a light amplification tube which converts a low level polychromatic image (white light) into an electronic image, which is then electronically amplified and transformed into a more intense, usually dull green, monochromatic image. The light levels can be amplified 5,000 to 10,000 times, making it possible to obtain a visible image even on extremely dark nights.