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ca. 1907 – 1930’s US ARMY
AERONAUTIC MEDICAL DEPARTMENT FIRST AID BOX:
An early and fairly unusual US Army Medical Corps item,
this box is labeled “KIT FIRST AID AERONAUTIC, MEDICAL
DEPARTMENT U.S. ARMY”. The US Army incorporated a
small Aeronautical Division within the Signal Corps in
1907, eventually changing the name to the Aviation
Section, again within the Signal Corps in 1914. The use
of the term “Aeronautic” apparently continued through
the 1930’s to identify those pieces of equipment
specific to the US Army Air Services. The early
Aeronautical Division and its successors were
responsible for the introduction of the lighter-than-air
craft known as dirigibles, or rigid air ships,
differentiating them from the bag construction balloons
previously in service, which were the first multi-crew
served aircraft. Significant to this medical aid kit,
it of such a size that it must have been intended for
use by a multi-person crew as opposed to a single pilot
or pilot and gunner of one of the early bi-planes. And,
the contents, though now missing, must have been
sufficiently complex to rule out self application by a
wounded pilot – just doesn’t seem practical. The
heavier construction of the box appears to be earlier
than those canvas first aid kits that attached to the
bulkheads of the World War Two bombers with lift the dot
snaps. The size and scope of the contents, plus the
early, heavier metal construction leads me to believe
this kit was intended for use aboard one of the early
airships or possibly the larger aircraft that pre-dated
World War Two.
The box, measuring 5 ½” by
4 ¾” square and 2” inches thick, is made of steel, and
has a hinged lid held closed by a snap clip. Showing
traces of white paint overall, the cover is marked “KIT
FIRST AID AERONAUTIC, MEDICAL DEPARTMENT U.S. ARMY”
around a Geneva cross, applied in green paint. The
interior of the box is subdivided and still retains much
of the original green paint. The lid is intact, both
hinges function well and the front hasp is present and
intact. The lid, all four sides and the bottom are
complete, intact and without any holes or weak spots due
to rust, nor any severe dents.
This is an interesting
piece with ties to the early 20th Century US
Army Medical Department and the US Army Aviation
Service. $100
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