My thanks to Roger Sanger, the copyright holder, for granting me permission to host this article on my web site.  To quote him, "I was looking for a new home for DGP's 2300 AD articles, and naturally I picked the best fan sites on the Web for that purpose.  Kudos to Pentapod's World!  Enjoy!" - Kevin Clark - January 24th, 2000.

All commercial vehicles with seating capacity of 30 or more, as well as military medics and civil paramedics, carry a medical kit.  In additional to common bandaging materials and topical antiseptics, specialized items for treatment of more serious injuries are included.  A typical example of a modern medical kit follows:

• Fibrinogen Dressing: A pad of fibrinogen fibers impregnated with antibiotics can be placed directly on freely bleeding wounds, followed by a pressure dressing.  Clots form around the fibers in 1/5th of the normal clotting time.  This layer of bandage is not removed or changed later; it will fall off as the wound heals.  The speed with which these dressings halt bleeding has been credited with saving many lives even in the hands of those unskilled in first aid.
  
  
• Spray Hypo: The spray hypo uses a quick burst of compressed air to force a liquid drug through the skin.  This method of delivering medicines has several advantages over needles.  Contamination of the hypo is impossible, even if used repeatedly without cleaning.  A poorly placed shot cannot accidentally enter an artery or hit a nerve.
  
  The technique of using spray hypos is easily learned even by needle-shy personnel.  Sprays can be set for administration through most thickness of clothing or even vacc suits.  For these reasons the needle has all but vanished from medical practice. A kit usually contains 10 or 20 ampules of broad-spectrum antibiotics/antivirals, 20 local anesthetics, 6 stimulants labeled for specific uses, and 10 sedatives.  Ampules of chemical painkillers may be included, as well as the pain disc listed below.
  
  
• Pain Discs: Taped on to the base of the skull, these electronic transmitters stimulate the production of endorphin, relieving pain without the loss of other senses caused by morphine substitutes.  Individual capacity for endorphin production varies, but as a rule, the discs can be used exclusively for a week before a rest of two days is needed to recharge the brain's chemicals.  Chronic low-grade pain can be handled by this method for months without pause.  The normal discs are not suitable for use as surgical anesthesia.
  
  Experimental versions of these disc have been made using a "white noise" principle to block the pain signal from the spinal nerves.  This is more effective than the endorphin method but produces a peculiar buzzing sensation in some patients and can dangerously dull the touch sense.
  
  One variety of transmitter disc is designed to put the patient in a deep trance or coma, oblivious to all sensory input.  This can be used as surgical anesthesia or to ward off shock and promote healing.  Members of certain elite branches of the military and intelligence branches are conditioned by hypnosis to be able to induce such trances in themselves by code words and to come out of them only when signaled by a voice they know.  Enhanced rates of healing can be induced in the same way.  This trick is very useful in combat and even more so to prisoners of war.  A medkit will contain at least one coma-inducing disc.
  
  
• Wound Glue: Collagen and a special tissue adhesive are spun in long strings and packaged for sterility.  These strings are placed inside the edges of a wound which are then pressed together.  Simpler and less painful than stitches, wound glue, when properly used, can help even a complicated laceration heal with little scarring.
  
  As with stitches, rough handling may tear healing tissue, so a firm protective bandage is preferred.  Use of the affected body part should be avoided for 3-5 days and it should be favored until movement is not painful.  If muscle layers are cut, several layers may have to be glued separately.
  
  
• Probe: For removing bullets or other foreign bodies from deep wounds, this flexible probe has a fiber optic light and lens, and a grasping end which can be controlled by the operator.  Naturally, local anesthetic is recommended before probing.
  
  
• Nuskin Burn Dressing: Serious burns should not be covered with fibrinogen dressing, yet such injuries can cause severe fluid loss and are open to infection.  The Nuskin package contains a chemical debrider to remove charred skin, and large pieces of a waterproof, germ-proof covering for the denuded areas.  Hospital attendants will finish debriding dead tissue latter.
  
  The kit includes a second type of nuskin for completely cleaned burns.  It adheres to provide a structure for new tissue growth while protecting the patient in lieu of his own skin.  Rather than area grafts, the nuskin matrix is seeded with healthy skin cells collected and placed with a large needle.  It helps prevent drawn scars, but therapy still includes frequent exercise of affected joints.
  
  
• IV Fluids: Five 0.5 liter units of fluid, containing glucose and electrolytes, are provided.  Placing an IV correctly is a ROUTINE task for anyone with medical skill but is one level more difficult, as well as hazardous by anyone without medical skill.
  
  
• Survival blankets: These are tough, waterproof fabric lined with reflective foil to hold in body heat, large enough to wrap an adult patient.  Packages of heat-producing chemicals can be placed inside the blanket to help prevent shock or aid recovery from exposure.  Ten each are in the kit.
  
  

The complete kit masses 15 kg and occupies 30 liters of volume.  Initial purchase price is Lv100, and perishable supplies must be replaced ( if not used) every six months, at a cost of Lv20.

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