In August of the next year, the First Geneva Convention was held, and a treaty, the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field, was signed by representatives of sixteen European countries.11 This treaty formalized the meaning of the emblem of the Red Cross, establishing the neutrality of medical personnel and hospitals under international law and obliging opposing forces to uphold mutual respect and protection for each.12 It also asserted that medical staff act with neutrality, caring for all wounded regardless of the side they fought for.13
