History & Development of the
Carlisle Bandage

Background:

The Carlisle Model First-Aid Packet was originally designed at, and took its name from the Carlisle Barracks Military Reservation, Pennsylvania in the early 1920s, the same place where the “Medical Department Equipment Laboratory” was first established on October 1, 1920. First Aid Packets had been in use with the US Military since before the coming of the Great War in the form of the FIRST AID PACKET – U.S. ARMY (shown below).

Obverse & reverse of the FIRST AID PACKET - U.S. ARMY

This dressing, already developed in 1904, and subsequently introduced in 1906, was supplied to the troops in a sealed brass casing, to protect the bandage inside against gas attacks, and to also ensure that it remained sterile. Early examples of these First Aid packets were opened by pulling a metal D-ring, which separated the two halves of the packaging, revealing the paper-sealed bandage within. As medical advances and discoveries were made, it was found that the First Aid Packet was inadequate for dealing with front line casualties and wounds (nevertheless, millions were produced during World War 1).

As a result, an improved version was introduced in 1940, designated First Aid Packet, U.S. Government - "Carlisle Model"to tackle the problem of front line wounds and casualties. This new bandage, according to FM 21-11 – First Aid for Soldiers contained the following:

First-aid packet, carried in web pouch attached to cartridge belt, contains ---

1. Wound Dressing (1)
2. Sulfanilamide (5 grams) in sterile, individual, double wrapped shaker-top envelope (1)

The Carlisle Bandage however underwent a number of changes in its development during WW2. This article will examine and outline these various modifications.

An illustration taken from FM 21-11 - First Aid for Soldiers, April 7, 1943 showing the contents of the Carlisle Model bandage tin.

Development:

Obverse of the early war Carlisle Model bandage.

Very early examples of the Carlisle Bandage tin were issued in sealed, pressed brass, rectangular containers (cover, box, and seal), once again designed to ensure the sterility of the bandage contained within. These early examples of the First Aid Packet did not yet contain a Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelope (only introduced by end of 1941), and were painted using an Olive Drab #7 colour shade. This model is shown above. Containers manufactured by the Medical Department workshops did not bear the Department’s markings, while those supplied by Bauer & Black of Chicago, displayed the manufacturer’s name. More manufacturers would receive Government contracts.

Obverse of the second variation, waxed cardboard model.

As the war raged on, the supply of strategic materials, such as steel, iron, copper and brass became more limited, and so the Government pressed for a number of studies to develop alternate solutions. One of the first results was a simple, white, waxed tuck-end carton, containing a bandage, designated Small First-Aid Dressing. It was already introduced in the summer of 1940.

Obverse & reverse of the "Tenite" variant.

In the middle of 1941, the Medical Department decided to amend their specifications, and placed purchase orders for containers made out of tin (instead of brass). The new version was introduced by fall of 1941, together with the very first Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelopes. When additional restrictions for raw materials became mandatory, the Medical Department once more had to be inventive, and now looked toward the expanding ‘plastics’ industry . The Tennessee Eastman Corporation produced a moulded plastic (called Tenite) container for the bandage, which once again was sealed to ensure the contents remained sterile. These slightly different variations were constructed of Olive Drab #7 plastic. Field tests of this Packet however soon proved it to be insufficient, the nature of the material meant that the item was susceptible to warping and breakage.  The obverse and reverse of this model are shown above.

Reverse markings of two examples of Carlisle bandage clearly showing variations of the With Crystalline Sulfanilamide markings.

By the fall of 1941, it had been realized that in order to effectively administer first-aid, front line troops needed to be issued with Sulfanilamide (to protect against infection). As a result, 5-gram Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelopes began to be introduced into the First-Aid Packets (shown below):

An illustration showing the contained Crystalline Sulfanilamide.

 In order to identify those packets which now contained sulfanilamide, the US Government began to imprint many of the First Aid Packet tins on the reverse with the caption Contains Sulfanilamide. Various styles of this imprinting can be found, and a select few are shown above.

Obverse & reverse of the later war variant, finished in red-orange colour to identify that the packet contains Sulfanilamide.

A further effort was made by the US Government in 1942 to easily identify Packets which contained Sulfanilamide. Existing Packets (previous production runs) were recalled, the Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelope added and the Packet refinished in a red-orange coloured paint to identify the Packet as containing Sulfa. 

An illustration showing at left: late war laminated paper and foil wrapping, and at right: waxed cardboard container to protect this packet.

Contracts were eventually issued to four manufacturers to produce the First Aid Packet, although shortly after the latter two were contracted, the Government refused to allocate any more steel and other alloys for the production of the containers . As a result of this, the Medical Department had to look elsewhere for new solutions. In the course of 1943, it was to take a rather radical step by adopting laminated paper and a lead foil wrapper (already used in the food industry). In order to protect this rather fragile wrapper from ripping in the field, the bandage was placed inside a waxed cardboard shell, pictured above. Its official designation was either Small First-Aid Dressing or Packet First-Aid Field Brown Dressing US Army Carlisle Model (white bandage material replaced by field brown-coloured shade in early 1945). It is to be noted that the laminated paper wrappers came in different colours, medium brown, dark brown, dark green, and black. Moreover some markings clearly mentioned "with sulfanilamide", while others did not...

Remarks:

In addition to the First Aid Packet, all soldiers were first provided with a single Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelope (powder, by end of 1941), packed inside the bandage container, and later with a set of 8 Sulfadiazine Tablets (early 1942), stored along with the First Aid Packet in the web pouch attached to the pistol or cartridge belt. FM 21-11 states:

Sulfadiazine (or sulfanilamide) packet, carried in web pouch attached to cartridge belt, contains 8 sulfadiazine tablets (0.5 gram each), or 12 sulfanilamide tablets (0.5 gram each)

Photograph showing a variant of the 8 Sulfadiazine Tablets. This particular example is manufactured by The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich.

It is important to note that the very first version of Sulfa drugs, made available in 1941, did contain 12 Sulfanilamide Tablets. They were subsequently replaced by the single Shaker Envelopes containing Crystalline Powder, and later (in 1942) by small containers numbering 8 Sulfadiazine Tablets.  As stated above, the latter did not fit into the container, and were consequently carried inside the web pouch, or Pouch, First Aid Packet, Stock No. 74-P-260.

Illustration showing the Pouch, First Aid Packet Stock No. 74-P-260.

Manufacturers:

First–Aid Packet Carlisle Model (metal container):
Medical Department Equipment Laboratory
Bauer & Black
Handy Pad Supply Co.
Johnson & Johnson
Bauer & Black Div. of The Kendall Co.

First–Aid Packet Carlisle Model (plastic version):
Acme Cotton Products Co. Inc.

Sulfanilamide Shaker Envelope (paper wrapper):
Hynson, Westcott & Dunning Inc.

Sulfadiazine Tablets (plastic container):
Lederle Laboratories Inc.
The Upjohn Company
The Anacin Manufacturing Company

Small First-Aid Dressing (waxed carton):
Bauer & Black
Johnson & Johnson
Handy Pad Supply Co.
A.E. Halperin Co. Inc.
Hampton Mfg. Co.
The Bay Division Parke, Davis & Co.
The American White Cross Laboratories Inc.
Convenience Inc.
Acme Cotton Products Co. Inc.
Allen Laboratories Inc.

Small First-Aid Dressing / Packet First-Aid Field Brown Dressing U.S. Army Carlisle Model (laminated paper):
The American White Cross Laboratories Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
Acme Cotton Prod. Co. Inc.
Guild Foundations