First Aid for Non-Battle Injuries (US Army, 1943)

In this film, the elementary principles of first aid for soldiers in the field are presented. The emphasis is on what the soldier should do before medical help arrives. He is shown how to put everyday objects and personal items to good use in emergency situations. The film is narrated over footage of soldiers in the field. In the aftermath of a road accident in which an army truck overturns, injuring several men, the first aid treatment of wounds and fractures is addressed.Soldiers are shown giving first aid to a man with a possible broken back, a man with a bleeding flesh wound of the thigh, and another with a fractured forearm. In another scenario, a soldier falls from a tree and breaks his leg. His buddies fashion splints from boards to keep the leg immobile until medical help arrives. A soldier shocked by a downed live wire is removed from contact with the wire and given artificial respiration until he begins to breathe on his own. A drowning victim first has his lungs drained of water and then is given artificial respiration. When a camp cook is scalded with hot water, other soldiers cut the clothing away from his body, apply ointment from a first aid kit to his burns, and give him eight "wound tablets" with plenty of water. His hips and feet are elevated, and he is kept warm to prevent shock. A soldier is shown removing a splinter from his finger with a pocket knife after he has flamed the blade with a match. He then swabs the wound with iodine and puts a bandage over it. A soldier suffering from heat exhaustion is placed in the shade, has his field gear removed and his clothing loosened, and is given cool salt water to drink. A soldier with a tick on his leg removes it by holding a lighted cigarette close to the insect. The tick bite is then painted with iodine. A soldier whose arms and hands have been in contact with poison ivy washes long and hard with "G.I. soap." A soldier with dirt in his eye tries to remove it by tearing. When that is not successful, another soldier pulls down his lower lid, then rolls his upper lid over a match stick and removes the particles with the corner of a clean handkerchief. A soldier has an insect in his ear. His buddy pours small amounts of water from a canteen into the ear to drown the insect. A soldier with abdominal pain wants to take a laxative, but his buddy persuades him to see the medical officer because that pain may indicate appendicitis. In the field, a soldier is bitten by a poisonous snake. His buddies apply a handkerchief tourniquet, flame the blade of a pocket knife, make cross-cuts over each fang mark, and thoroughly suck out the wound by mouth.
Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: resource.nlm.nih.gov/9300500A.
Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/collectio...

[@nesra8786]

Knowledge is the lifeblood of civilization

[@grimsville2501]

Indeed

[@Doc_Egan]

It's pretty interesting watching these old medical videos to see how much medicine has changed over time. Some of this still applies, but the CPR and snake bite treatment are way different now.

[@ChadtheHammer]

That splinter removal is hilarious.

[@williammangelsen3795]

Good to know.

[@mariekatherine5238]

Most of this still applies, at least in principle. We do CPR a bit differently, and the snake bite first aid would only be done today if help were hours away. For choking, the Heimlich maneuver is the preferred method.

[@doe9de995]

Well, I hope the war department gave us permission. Lol.

[@charliegabs]

9:28 I didn't know that method, it's very interesting. Using only your hands to reactivate breathing and circulation. Without using mouth-to-mouth CPR and manual compressions. But I wonder why they didn't use this second option? Is it because they are only rescuers and NOT doctors as they said at the beginning?

[@kayadams9746]

While this wasn’t know. at the time, DONT suck venom out from snake bites, it will damage tissue, and don’t apply a tourniquet to them either.

[@fatihadi9034]

Was this filmed during the war?

[@markdunn2076]

If you hear about snakebite it is in the Pacific Theater. There are venomous snakes all over Europe,does anybody know how many of our troops got bit? In all my reading about WW2 I have never seen this mentioned.

[@sprucerory4642]

Anyone know what those wound tablets were?

[@kayadams9746]

They were anti septics, which prevent infection

[@mariekatherine5238]

Probably a sulfa drug in the pre-antibiotic era.

[@kayadams9746]

@@mariekatherine5238 actually ww2 was the first war with anti biotics

[@mariekatherine5238]

@@kayadams9746 They were recognized as such in 1928, and used during WWII, but not for regular usage in the field.

[@kayadams9746]

@@mariekatherine5238 thankyou my bad