Youd have to use between 36 and 72 tampons to achieve the same result. A pressure dressing and duct tape is better than a tampon. But if you are making a kit then use real bandages. WHY didnt they buy candles. What happens if you leave a tampon in for 3 days? He said a Marine in the convoy was shot. Its not as bad IF you have to give emergency first aid to someone in a major auto accident,but still miles and minutes away from dying? Republicans' ridiculous targeting of 'period talk' in school - Los During World War II, the US military experimented with tampons to treat wounds caused by bullets and shrapnel. It took me quite a bit before finding a solid article on the topic. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved It's like how soldiers in WW2 would tell each other that . This was proper medical advice: the treatise was published in The Lancet, still the most respectable medical journal in England. If the king had gas, he got treated before a conscript who was bleeding to death. When it comes to teens and the use of tampons, there are many questions and misconceptions. I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines, and can't believe that something that started out as a mistake ended up saving someone's life. Tampons absorb more than just menstrual blood about a third may be vaginal and cervical fluids (depending on how absorbent your tampon is) (1, 2). Photo: author. Sure. A solid bunch of material in a tampon simply does not pack well. But in most situations wounds are from other means and thus, low velocity. RangerRick nailed it. xstat, a bunch of objects that absorb blood. I dont as a matter of habit carry a bunch of tampons in my truck for whatever. The modern word "tampon" is likely derived from the Middle French for "plug," as in a stopper for a bottle or (more specifically) the plug put in the front of a gun muzzle. The x large roll of gauze would be a MUCH more effective wound packing material but he chose the tampon because the gauze would never fit in his helmet and would take up a lot of space anywhere else in his kit. The brain requires several of these things in order to keep the rest of the body alive. They successfully slowed the bleeding and got the guy medical attention. Tampons soak up a lot of blood, they are also made of cotton which sticks to material and tissue. Bullet wounds tend to be non linear and larger than a tampon. From here, its a short leap to use tampons as field-expedient water filters, charring them to start fires with flint and steel, mixing them with Vaseline for fire starters and pretty soon, you have a survival kit made of nothing but feminine hygiene products. For ages, people have said that Hippocrates, the most famous Greek doctor of all, talked about tampons made of lint wrapped around sticks. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. Just a question in regard to female injury vaginal the blood is usually in this example will say do to impact or tearing higher ratio of actual blood Still victims are encouraged to use pads to absorb the blood is it because its an internal injury and would there be a better comparison possible with use of tampons and pads in tactical injury. Hi Barry. Exactly. I do it just to upset the ER Doctor, Well that and leak on the floor. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. There are better options today, but if you run out of them, a tampon is still a convenient way to get gauze inside a wound. In a SHTF situation like some mention, QC would be a slow painful death. Bullets do funny things when they enter the body. BUT?, Still I think using whatever works best in a situation like that? Seen first hand of a tampon being used in a gunshot wound. They're also often processed using some fairly body-damaging chemicals (like chlorine), so new frontiers need to be pushed to make them eco-friendly and safe. Sometimes, both parents and teens may wonder whether tampons will have an impact on virginity. Does the army use tampons? I know someone that told me he is alive today because his buddies girl stuck one in him after he got shot. This is like people that found out crayons can be improvised as candles, then went out and bought crayons. LSM Type II IFAK with a couple of great options and one bad option for controlling major bleeding. If youre new to tampons, using applicators is a safe way to know your tampon will be pushed in properly and securely. a regular tampon could absorb approx. What is the best less than ideal solution for a less than ideal situation? Some of the earliest tampons recognizable as we know them todayintra-vaginal devices made from a string and a wad of something absorbentwere documented in Europe in the 18th and 19th century.. However, the military continued to experiment with the idea and eventually found that it was a safe and effective way to treat gunshot wounds. Well examine the evolution of the medical application of tampons, uncovering the surprising history of these products and exploring their innovative use in treating gunshot injuries. It was often administered in the form of what doctors referred to as a tampon - a medical device invented in the 18th century primarily as an antiseptic to clog up bullet wounds. Yes, medics use them on the battlefield, and yes, they are used in the street. This article explored the history of tampons and their unexpected use in treating gunshot wounds. It is unclear exactly how the idea of using tampons to treat gunshot wounds originated. Either of these signs, and you have messed up at some step(probably didnt pack in the right place, or didnt maintain continual hard pressure). I too am a Sam Huston trained medic, 5th Grp SF. Depending on the size, location and severity of the wound, your best best is direct pressure,tourniquets,chest sealsor packing the wound withgauzeif the injury is capable of being packed and in junctional area suitable for the delivery of wound packing. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. Soon after, they were used to treat gunshot wounds. A survivalist explains that a tampon cannot provide the surface area or pressure required to control massive bleeding. The swelling of said gauze applies additional direct pressure to the various capillaries, veins, artery, etc. We are interested in fact, not supposition. MANY times we used a sanitary napkin and duct or electrical tape for an improvised Israeli bandage we worked with the military but did not get cool stuff like Quick-Clot. The issue with putting a tampon in any puncture wound, knife or bullet is once you manipulate the wound you cause more damage and more bleeding. This isnt guaranteed but a possibility. Innovation makes history. Hope more peoplewould follow you. sigmund freud is probably having a siezure in his grave over this tread! Pessaries made of elephant or crocodile dung, or of lint soaked in acacia juice, were both used as contraception devices over the history of ancient Egypt, and the Romans got in on the act too, with so-called "destructive pessaries". This pesky topic seems to rear its ugly head semi-routinely. Next. Ok just my two cents. Cox News Service. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. The point is that we have to control the bleeding first, in order to ensure blood circulation. Three balls in total will be packed in this manner. The bullet entered the inner elbow and exit the back. We greatly appreciate your business! Corpsman rolled him over and plugged it with a kotex and we put him on an LRV. Tampons are not staying the same, as physicians and manufacturers learn more about the female body, and adjust to the many different occupations women hold in society. Say I am at a concert. TSS is typically caused by an overgrowth of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus. Thanks Along this same vein of reasoning, feminine hygiene pads and diapers are designed to soak up body fluids or excrement and prevent them from leaking (and sometimes to contain and mask foul odors), not stopping severe bleeding and promoting healing. Here's a list of items you can just toss out from your bullet-plugging gunshot wound medical kit: Tampon. Earle Haas patented the first modern tampon in 1931, tampons had been used for thousands of years prior to that by women across the globe. You have nothing in your bus that can tamponade a gunshot as quickly as a tampon unless you are using quikclot or similar product. if I had time I would have grabbed off the shelf diagnostics like BP meters do to it being a shooting chances are the Ambo would be in a staging area till the cops could clear the scene. I really enjoy your writings, and have learned alot. As a registered nurse who has done extensive wound care. This product as well as new wound gel dressings would be useful to carry in first aid kit as emergency response times are ridiculous and ambulances are tied up queuing at emergency units waiting to off load patients. But there are times that a tampon might be helpfulnot with an arterial bleed but maybe the entrance wound or not a hollow-point or assault style weapon wound in the core of the body. I can't tell you how many guys, with a straight face, will tell me that a tampon will plug a bullet hole. Some women are carriers of a virus that make them more susceptible to it, so it is a significant health-related innovation. First of all my opinions of whether to use or pack Tampons and/or maxi pads in my own first aid kit comes from 2 seperate sources which I believe have more than enough knowledge about gun shot wounds and shtf scenes. A tampon. Exploring the Benefits of Probiotics in Greek Yogurt, Who Invented the Pythagoras Theorem? However, as long as the package is still shrink wrapped and airtight it should still be sterile. how much blood do you want be adsorb rather than stopped. The nearest hospital? Is better than nothing at all. Im sure there are other myths that need your expertise. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held in place by the vagina and expands as it soaks up menstrual blood. r/todayilearned Join 5 days ago A myth it is not. Youre dang right, Im gonna use whatever absorbent reasonably clean items I have on hand to help stop OR slow down the rate of blood loss!! The initial discovery of the telescoping cardboard "applicator tampon" was developed and patented by the Colorado doctor Earl Haas in 1931, but it was a woman, Gertrude Tendrich, who bought the patent and started to produce it, expanding from sewing tampons at home to distributing them under the now-famous brand name Tampax. With the wound now wiped out, prepare the hemostatic gauze for packing by opening one side of the package and putting the entire package into a pocket, or tucking it into a shirt so it can be pulled out easily section by section. I've seen a scary and common misconception that it's just fine to put a tampon in a bullet wound to stop the bleeding. Enter in your email and password to create a FREE account. The message board post was edited into the form it has now taken, e.g., the original contained details not part of the version that has come to be circulated in e-mail, including the name of "Marine X" plus a bit about the soldiers' throwing "Channel 11" footballs at one another after lights out. Learned its many uses a hundred years ago when I was boxing. A tampon is one or two 2 x2 or 2 x4 sections of gauze rolled up on a stick, whereas a 4 trauma dressing is usually comprised of a strip of gauze 4-wide and 12 long, z-folded, and compressed into a pad and topped with a gauze pad. Know the signs of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and how to reduce your risk. Menstrual Tampons Used By American Soldiers In The Iraq War In some cases, such as a .20 or .30, theyre smaller in diameter than a regular tampon. Of course having a cool guy A-Bag full of Gucci medical gear is preferred but might not always be available. JavaScript is disabled. You guys overthinking this. I suspect that is what has happened here. The use of tampons as a medical treatment has also allowed doctors to treat more patients in the field. Scarily, this is often shared as anecdotes by people who have never had to treat a gun-shot wound. BECAUSE hopefully a local hospital will be able too call for a medical aviation unit ( essentially a Medevac helicopter ), OR Air Medical Flite helicopter to transport an individual too the nearest hospital trauma center! Wont even finish the rest.not worth MY time. Women in ancient Japan fashioned tampons out of paper, held them in place with a bandage, and changed them 10 to 12 times a day. Something is better then nothing. 30 April 2003. As to how old this practice is, one of our correspondents says he saw tampons used in this fashion during the Vietnam War. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Deryck-PDN. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Granted the artery was not hit. 3. You didnt even read the article about how plugging a tampon doesnt even make sense nor helps to stop the bleeding from a gunshot. This article will explore the history of tampons and how they were used to treat bullet wounds. Esser-Mittag sold her invention to a company that was eventually bought by Johnson & Johnson, and the modern no-applicator tampon became a force to be reckoned with. New York is a few centuries behind the civilized world). Yes! By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The first time women had to creatively manage their periods was in the First World War, when nurses created both pads and tampons so they could continue working effectively. Tampons are typically associated with feminine hygiene, but they have also been used in more unexpected ways throughout history. Sanitary pads should not hinder the menstrual flow, so some people feel that using them can help their period to end sooner. That increased oxytocin can help to reduce your stress levels. Direct pressure and other methonds might be necessary.But I can see where tampons might help in the first critical minutes while waiting to do more extreme measure. Instead, they were medical devices, designed to treat prolapsed pelvic organs, much as a modern vaginal pessary would today. SO while I had as much available medical supplies on hand as I could possibly pack into the backcountry. Drawing straight from the toxic shock syndrome controversy, organic tampons drop the risk of being affected by trace chemicals.