MEDICAL KITS

[RikJohnson]

When I started to seriously Kayak, I looked over all the 'waterproof kayak/canoe kits" and quickly decided that they were crap! Sort of the 'wallhanger of the first aid world'. I got the impression that they pulled whatever didn't sell off the shelves, shoved it into a zippered pouch and made a 'kayak' label for the thing.
NONE were waterproof. None had what I actually needed for paddleing. For example, sprained fingers are rare but sunburn and dehydration is common.

So I did what I always do, my philisophy is this:
......."If you want a job done your way, do it yourself...BUT...If you want it done RIGHT, hire an expert, get out of their face and let them do the job themselves!"

So I went to Shea, my daughter's mom who was a neonatal Medivac/ICU nurse, had been a trauma surgeon and was in a field hospital during Desert Storm (when we met) and Africa.
She was also a kayaker and a former medieval recreationist (I bought her and our kid a GI-Bow longbow)

I handed her a decent-sized waterproof Otter-box and said, "Build me a First Aid Kit that is designed for paddling!" and she did. It is better than anything on the market and she cleans and replaces the stuff yearly.

Now, back on topic...
I was packing for the Day-Trip I did last weekend (pics on the other post) and noticed that I was missing a med-klit.
What to carry?

It had to be Period and Effective!
Willow-bark for the aspirin! Bandages! splint??? What medieval anti-biotics would be effective?
It's a problem but one well worth solving. Leave the leeches alone! I crawled out of a swamp in '72(?) covered with leeches and never again!!!!!

So, as soon as Shea has some time, I'm going to discuss a Period-&-effective Ranger Medical Kit!

Any thoughts from you guys?

[Elleth]

* CLEAN lightweight linen for bandages (I'd consider loosely baste-stitching them into a packet, and bleaching the whole thing periodically)
* tweezers for splinters. (extant Roman examples might be good to copy)
* scalpel or x-acto type blade (or handmade equivalent) for hard to get at splinters used ONLY for med. purposes
* small scissors used ONLY for med purposes.
* maybe some sterile/antiseptic "elvish" irrigation solution in glass vial?
* fresh garlic was used by Russians in WWII as a topical antibiotic.
* NOT TRIED - but chamois skin might make decent blister pads

Maintaining sterility of med. supplies over operational periods in primitive conditions w/o plastics is a really difficult challenge.
I'd love to hear more ideas on this.

Obviously, disposable sharps aren't period either. Better know who you're trekking with, and make the decision ahead of time how to handle fluids. When in doubt, go the modern way.

Our own Loup has produced this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gxWJd4RjfU
I like the suggestion of an eyeglass, but I don't know if I'd make that weight trade off if a good waterskin was available.


And finally, the non-period cell phone / GPS for rescue.
The game is fun, but it ain't worth losing toes or worse over.

[Ringulf]

Wonderful RiK!

We have visited this topic before and are always interested in seeing new ideas and new ways of putting together med kits, both modern and medeival.
It is so important for us all, no matter what level of participation we are up to, to have the right kits. Things can be period when appropriate, or at least stored in period cantainment, but to have the right components can save lives and keep us safe and well while we enjoy our pastime!


And Elleth you are right on, and that is a very good list of items for shure!

[Elleth]

A couple more thoughts...

... SOAP

... on the tweezers, you probably want two sets - a blunt tipped set w/forceps ridges for ticks, etc, and a fine pointy set for getting under skin for splinters.

... winingas (or similar woven wool strips) could probably substitute for athletic bandages quite well.

... I still haven't come up with any GOOD period solution to keeping bandaging and sharps sterile. Best I can think of is a waxed linen pouch sewn shut and kept in something waterproof as possible.

... on a real Ranger mission, a small set of minor surgical tools for extracting arrows, debriding dead tissue around crush wounds, etc would probably be carried. Probably a fair amount of suturing material to (I'm betting gut, like Baroque violin strings) and needles. Maybe the makings of a tourniquet or two (how much would it help though w/o modern medicine to evac to?)

For our real walks though, I think at least in woodlands things like splints are so easily improvised at the rustic level they're not really worth carrying period analogues of. Maybe one medium, one finger size moldable aluminum splint and steri-strips in a real backwoods med kit, but I'd not bother with more than little scrapes and burns with historical stuff. If it's that serious... the victim needs evac to serious care, not playacting w/substandard tools in the woods)

[Elleth]

and one thing more.

I've been thinking about bandaging today. In my experience with small cuts and such when I didn't have real bandaging around but DID have a scrap box from historical sewing (GEEK!)...

.. linen doesn't seem to be particularly "sticky" on wounds, but isn't very absorbent. It gets loaded with liquid fast.
.. wool is nicely absorbent, but stickier - unless it's tightly spun, there's a higher risk of leaving strands of fiber behind when changing dressings.
.. cotton is a nice middle ground (we still use it today) - but arguably isn't readily available in a ME context. It's certainly spotty in medieval Europe.

I think the ideal if you had to patch up a sword wound - after the stitching if necessary - would be an inner layer of thin sun bleached linen to keep fibers out of the wound, with a thicker wrapping of wool on top of that. Even loose fleece would work great.

Once upon a time a thin wool bunting fabric was made for flags - I've a sample somewhere, and it's not unlike the squares of guaze you buy in the drugstore today. While you'd still have the sticky problem, I bet it'd be great as bandaging. Sadly, it's not been made since nylon flags became the standard.

Last bit - I've read sphagnum moss was also used as a wound dressing for ages (and for other absorbency applications) - but I've no first hand experience.

[armchair]

You mention medieval antibiotics. There are records of only one being used: honey has antibiotic properties, and was historically put on minor wounds. That said, I haven't tried it myself.

[RikJohnson]

yes,
the balance is what is Period and what is Useful.
Obviously, in the Arizona desert, sprained ankles are less of a fear than cactus and snake-bite or scorpion sting.
In the Arizona mountians, sprains and breaks are more probable as the cooler temps keep the snakes away.

Both have their own different medicinal plants that are unique and different. But again, what are YOU comfortable using? It may be a good idea to keep a modern e-kit sealed by a vac-bagger (the kind you use for foods) wrapped and kept away for emergencies, and a more Period kit for minor things like splinters and bug-bites and such.

I'm still thinking on this and geting some really god ideas.

But then, my medical skills equal my culinary which means that I giove myself food poisining twice a year but so far have been lucky or blessed with a good constiturion as my field surgery on self has caused no problems... so far<g>.

[Ruusun]

Thanks Elleth for pointing this out and thanks Rik for posting. I like your ideas. I think I may stick with modern tools but in a historical bag. I may make a period one up for prop candy. Thanks and I'll refer back to these posts periodically.

[Elleth]

Hrmm.. for venomous bites, the last word I heard was that the various "remove the poison" methods did more harm than good.
(On the other hand, tourniquets were a no-no for years until Iraq/Afghanistan revived their use.. )

In either case, we're back to the "if it's that bad, forget the ME kit and get the cell phone" world.
Rik, I think you're right about a small vac-sealed real world kit tucked away somewhere for the middle-serious stuff, and a ME appropriate one for scrapes and splinters and such.

And heck - folks carry swords and spears without actually expecting to use 'em - no reason not to do the same with a surgeon's kit if one is so inclined.

So with that, I would think a ranger team would have onhand if possible...

A. The aforementioned bandaging in linen and wool.
B. An extra pair or two of winningas for wrapping sprains, immobilizing limbs, that kind of thing.
C. Scissors, tweezers (heavy and fine - 1 each), small scalpel blade
D. antiseptic solution (I'd use alcohol I think) Granted germ theory is well past ME period, but cleanliness taboos are thousands of years old for a reason.
E. CLEAN water

And for the "just for show" kit -

* Some fine needles with either sinew or catgut suturing.
(try searching for either real gut violin "E" strings (priciest option), middle eastern imported rebec strings (a little cheaper), or REAL deer or elk sinew from the various buckskinner suppliers (prolly cheapest) Goodness knows how sanitary those critter parts are - I wouldn't want 'em sewn through my skin if I could help it. But they'd hold up better in moist (IE tissue) environments than linen for the same thickness.

* An arrow spoon. (http://www.knightsinbattle.com/Surgeon.htm shows an example)

... I can imagine a blow fearsome enough - or diseased enough - that would warrant a field amputation, but I don't know as I've have the heart to carry the saw and knives for that. Yech!


Herbalism is sadly not my thing, so I'll wait for others to chime in there.

[herbcraft]

so, some thoughts, based on experience (I'm a professional practicing herbalist):

A#1 thing you need is *knowledge*. If you're carrying around a med-kit as a part of a costume, then this is less important, but if you're going to use it, you really need to know your shit. As an example, when to apply salve to a wound versus when to apply honey (honey is better as an initial application to deep/damp/purulent wounds and severe burns. In such cases, salve can be problematic, as it may create an oxygen deprived environment that anaerobic bacteria can thrive in). You need to know your skill and when to seek more skilled help, even when things seem to be "simple" wounds (staph infections after stepping on something aren't uncommon)

personally, as far as period goes, I'd also consider whether it's a character accessory, or whether you might use it. Modern tweezers and blades are more user friendly. Distilled alcohol isn't period to all periods, or all cultures (it seems to have began in this world in the 12th century). Vet wrap is pretty awesome stuff. While willow bark was used historically, it's at best a mild pain reliever... historically, pain relief was addressed by the skilled use of strong, often poisonous plants such as aconite (deadly), datura (dangerous/possibly deadly), henbane (dangerous/possibly deadly), opium (dangerous/addictive/possibly deadly) and other similar plants. I'm also hesitant to sterilize wounds by cauterizing them. I mean, I would if I needed to, but if it were an issue of being historically accurate versus compromising, I'd probably compromise.

that all said, I have a kit I use when I'm out in the wilds, though I do rely a lot on plants I know and know how to use that are there growing already.

Things I like to have on hand:
` an all purpose salve (usually plantain/chickweed based)
` an "injury oil" (infused - not essential - oils of st john's wort, goldenrod and yarrow, maybe with balsam poplar, or arnica)
` propolis tincture to seal and sterilize some wounds (the bee resin extracted in 95% ethanol)
` honey for burns and staph infections (http://www.drgrotte.com/honey-medicine.shtml & https://wildhealingherbs.com/uploads/Us ... ealing.PDF)
` powdered marshmallow root and goldenseal (for damp infected wounds)
` echinacea tincture for serious infections and venomous bites (to be used on the way to seek better care, if needed)
` fresh plantain leaves (for bites, stings & such)
` absinthe (the drink, not just the plant, to be used medicinally for GI infections)

that's in addition to tools, and I may have a slew of other things added depending on where I'm going, the time of year, how well I know the plants that grow where I'll be, and who I'll be with. This would certainly be the case for rangers, who can't carry everything with them, and don't need to because they know the land (note that Aragorn had to go find some athelas; he didn't have it on him).

Probably one of the best first aid focused herbalists in the US is a guy named 7Song. He teaches on this topic a lot, and runs the first aid at Rainbow Gatherings (where that's pretty much the first choice for med care, as there are usually no conventional facilities nearby). Here's some of his info: http://7song.com/files/Herbs%20for%20Fi ... 20Care.pdf

[herbcraft]

and another: http://7song.com/files/Wilderness%20First%20Aid.pdf

[Straelbora]

As crazy as it sounds, collect a bunch of spider webs. They were (and are) used by many cultures for packing wounds. It turns out spider webs, being mostly protein, are coated with natural fungicides and other antibiotics.

http://etheses.nottingham.ac.uk/2033/1/ ... sispdf.pdf

[herbcraft]

ooh, yes... spiderweb tincture was used to address pain in certain types of fever as well...