MUSEUM ACQUIRES VARIETY OF FIRST AID KITS, BANDAGES, AND FEMININE PROTECTION FIELD KIT
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First aid kits and bandages have always been vital in combat medicine, which is why the National Museum of Health and Medicine was pleased to receive a variety of them from different time periods. Recently, the museum acquired a World War II first aid kit, a medic bag issued in the early 1960s, test versions of a bandage that will reduce blood loss, and a Feminine Protection Field Kit.

World War II Medical Supplies

While antiquing in Frederick, Md. Alan Hawk, manager of the museum's historical collections, discovered a World War II era bandage treated with crystalline sulfanilamide, commonly called sulfa powder. The bandages were kept in small metal tins that each soldier carried in his uniform. During World War II, it was believed that the powder on these bandages would act as an antiseptic and protect the wound against infection. Hawk also found a pair of Bauer and Black forceps treated with sulfa powder. The forceps were still sealed in the original brown paper packaging. Unfortunately for soldiers at this time, the sulfa powder did not prove to be as effective as doctors and surgeons hoped. With the later use of the antibiotic penicillin, sulfa powder was discontinued.

Medic Bag

While cleaning out a storage closet, an employee at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center found a dark green canvas bag, which he later donated, to the National Museum of Health and Medicine. The medic bag would have been used during the Vietnam War, however it was not issued. Had it been issued, a combat medic would have carried the bag and assisted wounded soldiers. Inside the medic bag is a components list dated February 1961, as well as bandages, dressing, a tourniquet, painkillers, bandage scissors, and other medical supplies. Some of the supplies dated back to the 1950s, which is an example of how the military stockpiles in order to be prepared.

Fibrin Bandage

In 1995 members of the U.S. Army and the American Red Cross began developing a bandage that they hoped can some day would be used during combat to reduce the loss of blood. Today, the National Museum of Health and Medicine has two sealed fibrin bandages like those used in field trials at various Army posts. When applied to an open wound, the bandage which is coated with a dehydrated protein, softens and attaches itself to the wound and causes blood to clot faster. It is believed that if this technology had been available during the Vietnam War, there would be 6,000 more survivors. Currently, researchers are searching for packaging that prevents moisture from contacting the bandage, because once the bandage is accidentally exposed to moisture it is useless.

Feminine Protection Field Kit

During the National Museum of Health and Medicine's "March On Woman: Women's Health and Women in the Military" lecture series, Army Lt. Col. Pauline Knapp, the assistant executive officer to the Army Surgeon General, spoke about the non-military challenges women face while deployed, such as personal health and hygiene issues. Knapp donated a Feminine Protection Field Kit to the museum that contained feminine hygiene products. She said the kit was useful in situations when she was one of the few women deployed in Southwest Asia, Bosnia, and Somalia.