The 'Home' first aid case, England, 1939-1941
The ‘Home’ first aid kit was made for domestic use and contained the basics to treat epileptic fits, bone fractures, burns, cuts (including cuts to veins and arteries ) and fainting. The kit contains bandages, burn dressings, adhesive plasters, boric lint (to dress wounds) and smelling salts (to bring around someone who has fainted), as well as a mild antiseptic (potassium permanganate). Made by Boots Pure Drug Company Ltd, now part of Boots the Chemist, the kit contains first aid directions. Information in the kit advised users to seek professional medical help in severe cases.
Object number:
1983-1399
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: first aid kit
A kit designed to give help to an injured person until proper medical treatment is available
Glossary: bandage
A strip of material such as gauze used to protect, immobilize, compress, or support a wound or injured body part
Glossary: burns
tissue damage caused by such agents as heat, cold, chemicals, electricity, ultraviolet light, or nuclear radiation. A first-degree burn affects only the outer layer (epidermis) of the skin. In a second-degree burn both the epidermis and the underlying dermis are damaged. A third-degree burn involves damage or destruction of the skin to its full depth and damage to the tissues beneath. Burns cause swelling and blistering, due to loss of plasma from damaged blood vessels.
Glossary: first aid
Treatment that is rendered initially for the care of an emergent condition. It is usually performed by a lay person to a sick or injured patient until definitive medical treatment can be accessed
Glossary: fits
No description.
Glossary: boric lint
No description.
Glossary: fracture
The breaking of a bone into two or more pieces
Glossary: smelling salts
Used to arouse consciousness. The salts release a small amount of ammonia, which triggers the nasal passage's inhalation reflex.
Glossary: antiseptic
A chemical that destroys or holds back the growth of bacteria and harmful micro-organisms. It can be used to cleanse skin wounds and treat some internal infections if it is sufficiently non-toxic.
Glossary: ulcer
An open sore caused by erosion of the body surface. An ulcer can occur on the inside or outside of the body. The two most common types are mouth ulcers and stomach ulcers.
Glossary: vein
Blood vessel that returns blood to the heart from around the body.
Glossary: artery
A muscular tube carrying oxygenated blood away from the heart to all parts of the body.