Triage

When used today, triage denotes a highly skilled medical and surgical practice involved in the sorting of disaster or accident victims into various categories, according to the seriousness of their injuries. The process includes where best to direct such victims to medical care centres best suited to the type of injury e.g. sending brain damaged victims to specialist neurological hospitals etc. The etymology derives from the Old French trier, which means 'to pick out' and the OED dates the first usage of the word 'triage' from 1727, when it was first used in the wool industry to categorise different qualities of wool. From about 1830, the word 'triage' was also used in the coffee industry, again, to categorise different levels of quality in coffee beans. Its first known usage in a medical context dates from the early 19th century, when 'triage' was used by French battlefield surgeons during the Napoleonic Wars. The word then gained much wider usage in the treatment of battlefield casualties during the the First World War. Today, triage is a highly-skilled medical practice employed by first responders to public disasters, accidents, and terrorist atrocities.