For centuries the
doubled-barred Red Cross of Lorraine has been the
emblem used by that province in France.
At one of the first
International Tuberculosis Congresses held in
Berlin in 1902, the assembled delegates decided
that because tuberculosis was so rampant they
should really declare war on this devastating
disease. The meeting agreed. However, someone said
that in order to do so effectively, it would be
necessary to have a Battle Standard. The
representative from Lorraine suggested that they
should take as a symbol the doubled-barred Red
Cross of Lorraine as many victories for the French
in battle fields of old were attributed to carrying
this Red Cross into the fight.
At present the
International Union Against Tuberculosis with its
headquarters in Paris has branches - National
Tuberculosis Associations in over 100 countries -
all identified by the Cross of Lorraine.
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