title: Historical Review: The U.S. Army Medical Belt for Front Line First Aid: A Well-Considered Design That Failed the Medical Department During the First World War.
abstract: In December 1913, a board of medical officers was appointed to adapt new U.S. Army equipment to the needs of the Hospital Corps. One of the improvements concerned substitution of the satchel-like Hospital Corps pouch used to carry first aid equipment. A waist belt with 10 pockets, known as the medical belt, was devised, and supplied with a tourniquet, adhesive plaster, safety pins, iodine swabs, sublimated gauze, individual dressing packets, gauze bandages, aromatic spirit of ammonia, and common pins. In addition, an ax carrier accommodating a hand ax, a canteen hanger, and a pouch to carry diagnosis tags and instruments were attached to the medical belt. In 1916, the medical belt was incorporated in the field supply tables in the Manual for the Medical Department. The next year, on April 6, 1917, the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany in reaction to sinking of American ships by German submarines. Although the medical belt had given satisfaction in preliminary trials, it did not withstand the test of war. In practice, the medical belt proved a source of dissatisfaction both as to the methods of packing and its contents, which were considered useless in modern warfare. Subsequently, discontinuance of the medical belt was recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, P.O. Box 90153, 5200 ME 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wever
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, P.O. Box 90153, 5200 ME 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mike B J M
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Korst
authors.affiliation: Museum Meuse-Argonne 1918, Grande Rue 7, 55270 Nantillois, France.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otte
mesh_terms: D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005392:First Aid / Q000295:instrumentation*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history; D047828:World War I