Many were the outstanding people who left their imprint on the nineteenth century, devoting their energies to the cause of human dignity. One such person was Florence Nightingale, born in Florence on 12 May 1820, died in London on 13 August 1910.

This year, therefore, the 150th anniversary of her birth is being celebrated. We are particularly grateful to the Chairman of the Standing Commission of the International Red Cross for agreeing to speak in this issue for the Red Cross which has always considered the “Lady with a Lamp’ an inspiration. Henry Dunant himself profoundly admired her.

In 1872 Henry Dunant, on a visit to London, read a paper on the work of the Red Cross. His first words were:—“Though I am known as the Founder of the Red Cross, and the originator of the Conventions of Geneva, it was an Englishwoman to whom all the honour of that Convention is due. What inspired me was the work of Miss Florence Nightingale…”

In 1854 the English and the French were involved in a war which was the more distressing as epidemics increased the death rate in terrifying proportions. At Scutari, on the Asian bank of the Bosphorous, the Turks had given up to the English an artillery barracks with hospital attached. It was there, in that overcrowded general hospital where the cholera patients came pouring in, that Florence Nightingale and her nurses arrived from England on 5 November. The following three pages from Cecil Woodham-Smith's book suffice to describe the conditions she found there. They show what heroism, tenacity and organizing ability she had to call upon to remedy the situation.

It was in 1907, at the VIIIth International Conference of the Red Cross in London, that the Hungarian Red Cross proposed setting up a Nightingale fund “for an international commemorative medal intended for women who have distinguished themselves exceptionally in their nursing activities”. Its desire was to commemorate Florence Nightingale's devotion by a bronze medal engraved with the statuette of “The Lady with the Lamp” at St. Thomas' Hospital in London.

In 1969, as at previous distributions, the National Societies vested with the appropriate solemnity the awarding of the medal to applicants selected by the ICRC and whose names appeared last year in the International Review. It is unfortunately not possible to give here a complete account of the ceremonies, since some of these have not yet taken place. Additional information which we hope to receive will however be published at a later date.

The XXIst International Conference of the Red Cross, meeting at Istanbul in September 1969, devoted its Resolution XIII to the reaffirmation and development of the laws and customs applicable in armed conflicts. That resolution, the text of which is appended hereto, assigns to the International Committee of the Red Cross some heavy tasks, in particular that of drawing up proposals in that field for submission to governments.

On 26 January 1968, the International Committee of the Red Cross launched an appeal for those suffering as a result of the fighting in Laos, to which a large number of National Societies made generous response. In its report of 4 September 1969, the ICRC stated the increasing needs brought about by the influx of more displaced persons and hinted at the possibility of making a further appeal to the Red Cross world.

On 11 April 1970, the International Committee of the Red Cross sent the following message to the Powers engaged in the Middle East conflict.

The ICRC has just concluded an agreement with representatives of the European Economic Community (EEC) at Brussels, under which the member countries will make available to the ICRC agricultural surpluses and other goods to the value of 24 million Swiss francs to be used to carry out the tasks of the International Committee (and the League of Red Cross Societies as necessary) in those countries of the Third World stricken by armed conflicts or famine.

Prison Visits.—From 5 February to 3 March 1970, ICRC delegates carried out the seventh series of visits to places of detention in Israel and the occupied territories.

In addition, 720 Arab detainees received standard ICRC parcels of fruit, biscuits and cigarettes.

Following a mission carried out in December 1969 by Dr. J.-F. de Rougemont, accompanied by Mr. J.-P. Maunoir, assistant director and Miss L. Simonius, delegate, in the clinics of the Warsaw and Gdansk Academies of Medicine and at the headquarters of the Polish Red Cross in the capital, new compensation claims for Polish victims of pseudo-medical experiments in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War were laid before the Neutral Arbitration Commission.

On 13 April 1970, the International Committee received at its headquarters the authorities of the canton and city of Geneva.

In the course of their visit the ICRC's guests heard reviews by Mr. Marcel-A. Naville, and members of the directorate, on the organization of the ICRC and its activities throughout the world. They also visited the Central Tracing Agency and the ICRC's radio station and recording studio.

The International Committee of the Red Cross proposes to produce a new edition of the Geneva Conventions in English. Its Information Service asks all National Societies which might be interested in obtaining these texts to inform it of the number of copies to which they might wish to subscribe, not later than the end of June 1970.

As announced in our March 1970 issue, the ICRC put an end to its relief action in Nigeria on 6 February 1970. However, the personnel of its delegation in Lagos as well as that at the air base at Cotonou in Dahomey, reduced in numbers, were kept on for several weeks to wind up outstanding matters. The Lagos delegation consisted of ten, of whom three were delegates. There were also three employees still stationed at Santa Isabel in Equatorial Africa and three others at Cotonou.

The ICRC presented an exhibition on its activities throughout the world at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasburg from 17 to 23 April 1970.

The inauguration took place on 27 April at which were present Mr. O. Reverdin, Chairman of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Toncic Sorinj, Secretary-General, Mr. Schlosser, Clerk to the Consultative Assembly and a large number of politicians. The ICRC was represented by Mr. R. Courvoisier, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director, and by Mr. A. Modoux, head a.i. of the Information Service.