Magic Glue
Second World War, the Japanese were spread out all over the creation of Indochina and trying to break into India (i.e., Kohima, the battle of). Their supply lines were overtaxed and medical situation desperate. What, someone asked, could be done to quickly seal up hemmoraging wounds so that a soldier could live long enough to be transported to a proper hospital? be healed? and returned to the field?
The solution was not better bandaging but glue. Instant glue. It worked, it did not work without complications, and it was often a disaster for the tragic victim who might have been left better off it his wound had been compressed and left to air.
It was more than thirty years before that technology resurfaced as a practical item among homeowner supplies, for kitchen, for shop, for office. Now it is produced under a variety of brand names by several manufacturers.
At least one of them is working with medical researchers to improve the way military corpsmen can seal the wounds of soldier in the field long enough for transport to a proper hospital. The experiments are beyond the stage of tryouts and have become commonplace in some field supplies. Tomorrow, you will be stuffing a small tube in your pack for a canoe trip into the remotest waters of the United States and Canada. And you certainly wouldn't go (e.g.) up the Amazon with less than several tubes.
Military necessity seems to be the common source of most new and useful items for the citizen and homeowner.
As for what that neighborhood T-cell ressearcher did for you recently? If you run a pizza shop, maybe you got a midnight order. Not bad ... but somehow it doesn't stick ... like magic glue or (speaking of the military) duct tape.
The solution was not better bandaging but glue. Instant glue. It worked, it did not work without complications, and it was often a disaster for the tragic victim who might have been left better off it his wound had been compressed and left to air.
It was more than thirty years before that technology resurfaced as a practical item among homeowner supplies, for kitchen, for shop, for office. Now it is produced under a variety of brand names by several manufacturers.
At least one of them is working with medical researchers to improve the way military corpsmen can seal the wounds of soldier in the field long enough for transport to a proper hospital. The experiments are beyond the stage of tryouts and have become commonplace in some field supplies. Tomorrow, you will be stuffing a small tube in your pack for a canoe trip into the remotest waters of the United States and Canada. And you certainly wouldn't go (e.g.) up the Amazon with less than several tubes.
Military necessity seems to be the common source of most new and useful items for the citizen and homeowner.
As for what that neighborhood T-cell ressearcher did for you recently? If you run a pizza shop, maybe you got a midnight order. Not bad ... but somehow it doesn't stick ... like magic glue or (speaking of the military) duct tape.
posted by Duct Tape at 1:25 AM
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