Tampons are clean. I've seen it happen on one occaison. But the tampon has a fascinating and somewhat disgusting history in human medicine. 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. This was proper medical advice: the treatise was published in The Lancet, still the most respectable medical journal in England. But, please be real.I personally carry the largest tampons I found here in Europe, and I would stick those inside my wounds Im sure thatd be the maximum I would be capable of . Check the wound daily for signs of infection listed below. Thanks for the input. Does the army use tampons? By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Tampons are not designed to stop bleeding but rather to absorb and catch menstrual blood stopping it from leaking out during a menstruating womens daily activities. 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. so there are restaurants, post offices, and stores known as exchanges that sell hygiene products (among other things), including tampons and sanitary pads. Or, would you want me to just let you bleed. He said, "Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I kept two for our first aid kit". At most, a woman loses 60-80ml of blood during a period (about 1/3 of a cup). yes they will expand but that is a great thing, espically since, THEY ARE STERILE. 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. 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. But they gained rapid usage during World War II, when women became part of the workforce and needed better menstrual care. Additional students will be charged on the day. Packing wounds in the field just introduces more contamination into the wound, which creates infection, but that is why they make antibiotics.. saving lives sometimes is a compromise between best practices and absolute desperation. So take it with a grain of salt. All tampons do is give you another thing that needs removed. The use of tampons in treating gunshot wounds has also helped to reduce the cost of medical supplies, which has saved the military millions of dollars. Triage Military physicians treated wounded according to rank or station instead of the severity of wounds. Plugging the hole with a tampon might mean the blood is not visually coming out of the body. The Papyrus Ebers, the world's oldest printed medical document, describes the use of papyrus tampons by Egyptian women as early as the 15th century BCE Pushing it in farther will only push out the material not filling the wound well. Hippocrates, in 500 BC, writes about absorbent material wrapped around sticks to carry medicine into the vaginal cavity. Hope more peoplewould follow you. Medics with years of combat experience say they consider tampons excellent for penetration trauma because not only do they absorb a lot of blood, they are sterile, packaged with easy-to-use. Once reduced to the hemostatic gauze, you will press down harder on it, and peel back the wound around the edges of the pack, looking for blood welling up or pooling around the sides. Packing a wound is a difficult, perishable, life-saving skill. Later, Gertrude Tendrich produced the first commercial tampon brand . I would recommend this article that I have referenced below or alternatively the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) guidelines which are reviewed annually and specialize in combat medical recommendations. The dynamics of wound generation are very different from the slow musket ball to modern high power rifles. The oldest printed medical document, Papyrus Ebers, refers to the use of soft papyrus tampons by Egyptian women in the 15th century BCE. To answer my own question it looks like it can be done. Applicator tampons help to do the hard work by pushing the tampon in for you. Let alone the extra 20-50 miles to the nearest hospital? Blood will pool into the temporary cavitation. When they went to check on him later the surgeon told them, "You guys saved his life". Most will not serve on a battlefield, but even there, expedience of removing the wounded to a proper MTF is paramount. Lets take a look at what the original tampons were used for (and made of), how they evolved into menstrual devices, how they developed over time, and lastly since history is ever growing how innovation has entered the industry. From a medical standpoint, I can talk about tampons and the many uses of said tampons much better than you ever could. Your combat medics were retarded or never dealt with a gunshot The discharged fluid is made up of about 40-50% actual blood, and then several other types of tissues, such as uterus lining, broken-down unfertilized eggs, some hormones, and maybe even small amounts of vaginal secretions. Some women are carriers of a virus that make them more susceptible to it, so it is a significant health-related innovation. 4. A search of peer-reviewed medical literature will fail to provide you with any data whatsoever on tampon use. However, as my military medical career progressed and I gained more education and experience, this is one of several medical interventions that were either modified or removed. A tampon. Made from everything you can think of (rock salt, opium, and elephant dung are all on the list), tampons have been used for centuries for a huge swathe of purposes. Were tampons invented for bullet wounds? - Dixie Sewing They do come with expiration dates, but some last up to four years. If youre dealing with a gunshot, what exactly and how are you packing it in the field? In his treatise Illustrations And Proofs Of The Principle Of Population, published in 1822 the English thinker Francis Place advocated a tampon for contraception, in the same vein as a sponge. The function of the internal tampon is to absorb menstrual blood inside the vagina after it has left the uterus, preventing it from leaking out, and thus providing suitable protection with total discretion.. 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. Republicans' ridiculous targeting of 'period talk' in school - Los The pad will suck out the blood and, in the process, not allow clotting to occur in the injury (the clot will happen in the pad). But the modern tampon faced a bit of an uphill battle. Couple of things Rick. The tampon will keep absorbing until saturated and then merely keep dripping out. With bleeding now controlled, use a section of regular gauze to wipe away excess blood, blunt dissecting as necessary to locate and visualize the severed artery. After the war, Kimberly-Clark began making sanitary napkins from Cellucotton. Thanks You need a fully staffed OR to clean QC out or else your buddy will die of infection, thats if the QC doesnt break apart. As a woman, Im here to tell you that tampons dont stop your vagina from bleeding, they just absorb the blood. Tampons soak up a lot of blood, they are also made of cotton which sticks to material and tissue. Tampon was marketed as a "smarter" alternative to applicator tampons by emphasizing greater comfort and doing away with the need for an applicator. Remember, the entrance wound is determined by the size of the bullet, it is the wound you can physically see. The efficacy of a dressing in saving a life is based on promoting clotting and healing more than absorbency. I also wouldnt use one to filter debris out of water. Do you have knowledge or insights to share? I have seen posts by at least a hundred people that include them in their kits instead of real bandages because they heard online that it works. Overall, the future looks relatively bright, as long as the tampon can adjust to our higher standards about health, safety, and greenery. Finally, the Food and Drug Administration laid down regulations that ensured only trace amounts of dangerous chemicals were used in the production of tampons. Symptoms and signs of TSS may include a sudden fever (usually 102F or more), vomiting, diarrhea, fainting or feeling like you are going to faint when standing up, dizziness, or a rash that looks like a sunburn. 4 yr. ago Bullshit. This isnt guaranteed but a possibility. If you say you do not want me to try and stop your bleeding with a tampon, what would you want someone trying to help you do? The tampon has been in use as a medical device since the 18th century, when antiseptic cotton tampons treated with salicylates were used to stop bleeding from bullet wounds. "Tampons" for medical use Of course, they weren't called tampons in Ancient Egypt, which was where the first similarly-constructed device was recorded. A tampon simply does not allow that effectively. You might have some smarts but you lost it here. Simply sticking a tampon into the bullet hole will do little to stop internal bleeding. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way. Bullet wounds tend to be non linear and larger than a tampon. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. PSA DON'T USE TAMPONS FOR GUNSHOT WOUNDS : r - Reddit Tampons soak up menstrual blood, but they may also block some menstrual flow from the vagina, which could extend the duration of bleeding. See this article. Your email address will not be published. It was an effective way to stop bleeding and reduce the risk of infection. Regardless of how many times it is refuted, one of the many myths surrounding bleeding control that continues to linger, is using a tampon to treat a gun-shot wound. This is why we assess and treat injuries in the order of Circulation, Airway, Breathing (CAB). Antiseptic cotton rolls were used to stop bleeding from bullet wounds. The Tampon: A History - The Atlantic By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. This is like people that found out crayons can be improvised as candles, then went out and bought crayons. Despite Jax comment below [who, as a woman, is evidently an authority on this subject], it is NOT the tampon which stops the bleeding; it is the passage of time. Makes no sense to me. how much blood do you want be adsorb rather than stopped. One of the first civilizations to use tampons for apparent menstrual reasons may have been the Japanese. I have limited knowledge of wound management but, I know that is important to stop bleeding. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Olaes Modular Bandage has additional bulk gauze inside it. Any girl who has her period can use a tampon. sigmund freud is probably having a siezure in his grave over this tread! Do you know why men can write articles about tampons? Big difference. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Tampons are no substitute for PPT: packing, pressure and tourniquets. Don't. Just don't. It's a common "tactical medicine" myth, so I thought I'd post this. JavaScript is disabled. But if you are making a kit then use real bandages. 2. Reasd every word, I went with the Israeli bandage. Instead, they were medical devices, designed to treat prolapsed pelvic organs, much as a modern vaginal pessary would today. Hi Dexter, I too remember being told on my initial army basic training that tampons were appropriate for haemorrhage control. Required fields are marked *. For them and for others, virginity loss may refer to their first time with oral sex, anal sex, or sex using fingers or toys. It was issued to every Marine as part of his 782 gear. 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.. Is it a end all be all solution, no, are there better products YES however this doesnt make them something that should not be considered. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Need a safe place to go? If you are interested in becoming a member to Personal Defense Network, please click on the special offer below: https://go.personaldefensenetwork.com/C21385. We are interested in fact, not supposition. Pulling it back out after the tampon swells up, you risk doing the same damage as well as removing the clot you had hoped would have formed. However, the military continued to experiment with the idea and eventually found that it was a safe and effective way to treat gunshot wounds. In some cases, such as a .20 or .30, theyre smaller in diameter than a regular tampon. Required fields are marked *. If you have any further questions, please chat, email, or contact Customer Service at 1-855- . This is like anything people have their own opinions but to say this is not a viable solution and or completely ignore its benefits is a bit ignorant and negalegent . TIL tampons were originally made to plug bullet wounds. We had soldiers that carried tampons in their helmet or in their personal medical packs for gun shot wounds. This means you would have to cause further damage just to shove it in the hole to plug it it doesnt make sense. Written by a vet and discussing closing wounds on cats and dogs (under 30kg) but still understandable to a lay man. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Ever see Blackhawk Down where the blood shoots across the room at high pressure? Causing it to expand placing force on the damaged soft tissue, thus controlling the bleeding. What might not fly as civilian medics is not the same with soldiers in a combat situation. If a tampon is the only thing you have use it but do not prepare your EDC trauma pack with them. You never served in the army and youre just rambling. Is this not the central reason why people think tampons would work, because most people would assume that a bullet wound cavity (at least that of a smaller caliber round) would lend itself to be filled by the expansion of a tampon? Have you ever stuck a tampon in a gun shot wound. Sterile technique is not what youre able to provide in a trauma situation at best youre providing aseptic technique which is good enough. I bet some of you must be thinking, "I have inflicted, seen, and/or treated numerous gunshot wounds, and there is no way I could have plugged any of them with a tampon!". The tampons of today face all-new challenges. Sometimes hemostatic gauze is used (when the bleeding is severe.) In any situation involving an arterial bleed you need a different treatment to ensure that the artery is repaired as quickly as possible (hemostat, etc.). (That same article announced of those men, "They stick condoms on the muzzles of .50-caliber machine guns to keep out dust, and shoot right through the latex when the time comes to fire."). 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.