Medical Officer's Belt
In 1917, the Medical Department adopted the Medical Officer's Belt. This belt was equipped with four pockets. A large and small pocket sat side by side on the front and were connected by an adjustable belt in the rear. This made it easier for the medical officer to keep his instruments conveniently in front, keeping his hands free to work on the wounded. All bandages and other minor first aid supplies were carried in the enlisted medical belts. Five major variations of the officer’s belt have been observed. The first, and the earliest noted, are dated May 1917. These early belts were manufactured by the Mills Woven Belt Company and exhibit a date with the Mills’ bullet logo stamped inside. This early belt has the addition of two lifting straps with button type snaps attached to the outside of the small pockets. These aided in the removal of the flask and the syringe with a simple pull. This feature was seen on early Model 1910 ammunition belts as well. Also, like Mills’ production of ammunition belts, this medical belt had its snaps replaced by the new “lift-dot” type of snap in early 1917.
The second variation is the most common. It consists of the four pockets on the front, but without the lifting straps inside. These belts are also marked “MILLS” inside the bullet logo with a date above. These have been observed with stamped dates from August 1917 to November 1918. These belts continued the use of the “lift dot” snaps except for a short period in mid-1918 noted in the third variation. The third variation of belt is identical to the second style, except that the “lift dot” snaps were replaced by the tradition old style rimmed eagle button snap introduced by Mills on their earlier model 1910 infantry belts. These belts have been observed marked “MILLS” and either dated March or April 1918. This is very confusing to some collectors as many want to classify these belts as M1910 equipment due to the snaps being used and not the production year of the belt itself. In fact, it was most likely the manufacturer’s choice to use these earlier buttons in the summer of 1918 due to a shortage of “lift dot” snaps or other yet-unexplained reason. These first three variations were all woven in the typical Mills construction style: Belt and pockets being one woven in one piece.
The fourth variation was produced by Long in the latter half of 1918. The belt does not have tapered pockets flap edges and the pockets are sewn separately to the belt rather than woven in one piece like the Mills belts. The fourth variation belt is constructed of reinforced lighter canvas material and also featres the lift- dot fasteners. The last and most scarce variation is unmarked and undated. The construction is identical to Long-manufactured belts. These belts have dark brown/green waterproofed pockets sewn directly on a light khaki belt. Because of the waterproofing, it seems likely that these belts were made near the very end of the war.
The second variation is the most common. It consists of the four pockets on the front, but without the lifting straps inside. These belts are also marked “MILLS” inside the bullet logo with a date above. These have been observed with stamped dates from August 1917 to November 1918. These belts continued the use of the “lift dot” snaps except for a short period in mid-1918 noted in the third variation. The third variation of belt is identical to the second style, except that the “lift dot” snaps were replaced by the tradition old style rimmed eagle button snap introduced by Mills on their earlier model 1910 infantry belts. These belts have been observed marked “MILLS” and either dated March or April 1918. This is very confusing to some collectors as many want to classify these belts as M1910 equipment due to the snaps being used and not the production year of the belt itself. In fact, it was most likely the manufacturer’s choice to use these earlier buttons in the summer of 1918 due to a shortage of “lift dot” snaps or other yet-unexplained reason. These first three variations were all woven in the typical Mills construction style: Belt and pockets being one woven in one piece.
The fourth variation was produced by Long in the latter half of 1918. The belt does not have tapered pockets flap edges and the pockets are sewn separately to the belt rather than woven in one piece like the Mills belts. The fourth variation belt is constructed of reinforced lighter canvas material and also featres the lift- dot fasteners. The last and most scarce variation is unmarked and undated. The construction is identical to Long-manufactured belts. These belts have dark brown/green waterproofed pockets sewn directly on a light khaki belt. Because of the waterproofing, it seems likely that these belts were made near the very end of the war.
Picture to the right is a second variation belt worn by Charles F. Jump. The belt is maker marked and dated Mills, August 1917. A doctor in civilian life, Jump was made first lieutenant of Company A of the 2nd Montana Infantry in 1912. During the Mexican border conflict he was promoted to Captain and assigned to the Medical Staff where he served from June to November of 1916.
Jump later served as a Major with the 163rd Infantry (41st Division) in France during World War 1. He was stationed at Camp Hospital 26, the "Camp of Noyers", in Saint Aignan sur Cher near Noyers. As a Major, he would have been in charge of the hospital. He was discharged from the army on August 9, 1919. Jump returned to active duty during World War 2 on Sept. 5, 1942, and was assigned as the state medical officer for the Montana headquarters of Selective Service. He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel. He died October 23, 1945. |
Contents of the Medical Officer's Belt
Despite only having four pockets, the Medical Officer's Belt held a number of items to aid the wounded soldiers on the field of battle. The Manual for the Medical Department 1916, corrected to 1918 described in precise detail the correct items that were used to fill the Medical Officer's Belt.
Paragraph 864 list all of the Individual Equipment for the Medical Officer. The first item on this list is, of course, the Medical Officer's Belt itself. The next item included is the Instrument Case. Paragraph 919 describes in detail all of the medical tools that belong in the Instrument Case. The third item is the Medicine Case. Paragraph 920 describes the five bottles of medicine that belong in the metal Medicine Case. The fourth item is one book of Diagnosis Tags. The fifth item is the Empty Flask for Morphine Solution. The sixth item is the Hypodermic Syringe. Paragraph 956 described in detail all of the items and medicine that belongs in the syringe kit. The seventh item is the case of 12 Extra Needles for the Hypodermic Syringe. Finally, the eighth item is the Clinical Thermometer. These four paragraphs comprise all of the appropriate items that belong in the Medical Officers belt. These belts will typically be found with few if any items. At times they may also be found with items that do not belong in the belt. It is possible that doctors in the field added different items. Doctors had complete discretion to put whatever items in their belt they deemed necessary. Hypodermic Syringe The small pocket on the left hand side of the belt contained two items: the hypodermic syringe kit and the case for extra needles. The syringe kit was used to inject needed medicines into ill and wounded soldiers in the field. The syringe kit was contained within a small metal case of similar shape to a modern Zippo lighter. The original kit would include the metal case and felt cover (typically field green or brown) with a metal closing snap. The contents of the metal case included the syringe, two extra needles, six vials of dis-solvable medicine tablets, and a thin metal tube which held a wire to clean out the needles. These kits were produced by multiple companies including the Randall-Faichney Company of Boston, J. Sklar Manufacturing of Brooklyn, and an unknown company named “TAG” denoted by a logo shaped like a shipping tag on the top plunger of the syringe. The kit was stored in the belt in a small felt pouch of various colors (typically field green or brown) with a snap closure. An example of the syringe kit is picture on the right. Included in this particular example are the felt cover, metal case, syringe, two needles and two cleaning wires with their holding tube. The metal case is stamped Med. Dept. USA, and the syringe bears the makers mark J. Sklar Mfg. Co. Brooklyn, NY. Extra Needles for Hypodermic Syringe The second item in the small left hand side pocket is one of the rarest items for the Medical Officer's Belt: the small metal case which held 12 extra needles. The example seen on the right is a small aluminum tray that would slide out of a cover containing the 12 replacement needles. The cover is marked Medical Dept. USA and the maker is the Randall-Faichney Co. of Boston. Another known example is made by J. Sklar Manufacturing of Brooklyn. The example to the right is in unissued condition and still contains its original paper insert. Medicine Case The large pocket on the left hand side of the belt also contained two items: the Medicine Case and one book of Diagnosis Tags. The Medicine Case is a metal case with five brass clips that held in place five black Bakelite screw-top bottles. Each of these bottles held different tablets of medicine. The official medicines for the Medicine Case are as follows: Acetphenetidinum: white powder or crystalline solid derived from coal tar and used in medicine to reduce fever and relieve pain. Also called phenacetin. Mistura Glycyrrhizae: compound licorice mixture used to treat cough/bronchitis. Pilulae Catharticae Compositae: laxative used particularly for treatment of fevers, hepatitis and jaundice. Pulvis Ipecacuanahae et Opii: used to induce sweating in order to defeat fevers and colds, also treats dysentery, cholera, gout and other afflictions. Quininae Sulphas: used to treat serious forms of malaria. The example pictured on the right is an original Medicine Case which includes all five bottles labeled with their official contents. Three of the bottles in this case still retain the original period medicine tablets. Diagnosis Tags The second item in the large left hand side pocket is one book of Diagnosis Tags. These books were used to identify what treatment has been given to a wounded soldier in the field, so doctors in the rear hospitals would know what needed to be dealt with and what treatments had already been given. The tags recorded the date and station where tagged, name of wounded, rank and unit, diagnosis, treatment given, and the signature of the attendant. These tags were be tied to a front button if possible. There are three known makers of Great War era books: W.H. Brewton Contractor, R.P. Andrews Paper Co., and the Wm. J. Brewer Contractor. All were located in Washington D.C. During the Great War, two editions of these books were made: 1917 and 1918. The Edition 1918 is the more commonly found version. The example pictured on the right was made by Wm. J. Brewer and is Edition 1917. It has never been used as it still retains its original issue wrapping tape. |
Empty Flask for Morphine Solution
The small pocket on the right hand side of the belt contained one item: the Empty Flask for Morphine Solution. Morphine in liquid form must be placed within an amber colored bottle in order to protect it from sunlight, which will weaken the solution. The Hospital Corps Belt also included a flask for Ammonia. The Manual for the Medical Department is silent as to whether the clear or amber bottle belongs in the Medical Officer's Belt. Clearly the amber bottle would be more appropriate for the morphine solution, whereas the clear bottle would be appropriate for ammonia. However, both clear and amber colored glass bottles have been found in these belts. It is likely that officers used whatever was available at the time in order to carry morphine. Unlike the flask that belongs in the Hospital Corp Belt, the Medical Officer's Belt flask did not include a metal cup. Morphine is an extremely powerful and dangerous medicine and more than a few drops could be lethal. Therefore, a holding cup was unnecessary. The flasks had either aluminum or nickel screw top lids. Clinical Thermometer The large pocket on the right hand side of the belt contained two items: the Clinical thermometer and the Instrument Case. The clinical thermometer was a typical mercury type with a bakelite case. Some can be found with the original inspection card testing the thermometers as well. Two manufacturers of the thermometer where Hartz, and Randall-Faichney. My collection does not yet include the Clinical Thermometer. If you have one you are looking to sell, please let me know. |
Instrument Case
The Instrument Case is often marked "Officers Belt Case" on the outside flap. These cases were manufactured by the Kny-Scheerer Corporation in New York, as marked on the inside flap. These cases are also seen without any markings on the outside. Such cases were made by J. Sklar Manufacturing in Brooklyn. The Instrument Case contained all the instruments for the medical officer to treat the wounded soldiers on the front line trenches until they were later removed to a rear aid station. The standard contents of this case consisted of the following: Three forceps: artery & needle, hemostatic and mouse-tooth Metal container with two knives: scalpel and straight bistoury Aneurism and grooved director combined needle Straight scissors 12 assorted surgical needles Plain sterilized catgut sutures, 3 sizes Braided sterilized silk sutures, 3 sizes The tools in the Instrument Case were made by a wide variety of manufacturers including J. Sklar Mfg., Stellite, Hartz, Henkel, Kny-Scheerer, Fred Haslam & Co. and Randall-Faichney. The cases as well as the instruments have been found with various makers and not all cases will have a single manufacturer’s tools. The example pictured on the right was manufactured by J. Sklar Manufacturing and is dated September 1917. The case is missing the straight bistoury but includes a fourth pair of forceps. All of the instruments in the case are marked Sklar with the exception of the straight scissors which is marked Henkel. Both packets of ligatures (sutures) are made by Johnson and Johnson. The surgical needles were manufactured by Fred Haslam & Co. This case is unique in that not only is it wartime dated, but the case and most of the tools were manufactured by the same maker. The example pictured below was manufactured by the Kny-Scheerer Corporation. The case is empty except for the knife case which is makers marked by Fred Haslam & Co. The case also included a pack of surgeons needles, also manufactured by Fred Haslam & Co. |