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Creator:
St. John Ambulance Association
Title(s):
Triangular bandage, printed with illustrations of bandage use.
Published/Created:
Great Britain : St. John Ambulance Association, approximately 1920.
Physical Description:
1 printed bandage : linen ; 144 x 69 cm
Holdings:
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Textiles 19b
Yale Center for British Art, Friends of British Art Fund
[Request]
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Classification:
Prints
Notes:
Bandages such as this were introduced as a way to quickly communicate critical information in an emergency, and first came to prominent use on the battlefield, a lightweight, practical and potentially lifesaving accessory for any soldier. Originally invented in Switzerland, the triangular bandage was popularized by Friederich von Esmarch (1823-1908), Surgeon General of the German Army during the Franco-Prussian war. Able to be folded in multiple configurations, the triangular bandage served to cover injuries on nearly any part of the body as well as serve as an arm sling. They later found use in industrial and manufacturing environments, with early examples including scenes of what to do in medical emergencies, for example in mines, or on board ships. By the early twentieth century, first-aid organizations in England, including the British Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Association, produced their own versions of the instructional triangular bandage.
A printed sheet of instructions on use of the bandage is also present in the collections. See link herewith.
The emblem of the St. John Ambulance Association appears at top; "registered design 7764" at bottom right. Parts of the bandage are identified as "point," "base," "side", or "end."
Triangular bandage produced by the St. John Ambulance Association, printed with a series of images to illustrate how it should be used to treat a variety of first-aid emergencies, such as stabilizing broken limbs through the application of splints. Each use of the bandage in the illustrations is numbered (from 1 to 25), presumably in reference to a printed guide with further instructions.
Subject Terms:
Bandages and bandaging.
First aid in illness and injury.
St. John Ambulance Association.
World War, 1914–1918 -- Medical care -- Great Britain.
Form/Genre:
Cloth prints.
Printed textile materials.
Textiles.
Linen (material).
Ephemera.
Bandages.
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