First aid skills are more commonplace today than ever before, with organisations such as St John Ambulance and the Red Cross spearheading the campaign to teach everyone the basics of dealing with a health emergency.
A survey by St John Ambulance in 2024 revealed only 51% of people in the UK would know what to do in the event of an emergency in the workplace. This led to a call for more first aid training to help save lives.
Amazingly, the history of the first aid kit can be traced back around 5,000 years to the times of ancient Egypt. With no definitive date, historians know several early civilisations recognised the healing properties of wound cleaning and bandages.
Evolution First Aid Kit
The earliest evidence of first aid dates from the ancient Egyptian civilisation of 3100 BC to 30 BC. They were among the first people to use bandages, a practice documented by Greek scholars who studied medicine and healing in Egypt and created written records of their research. A clay tablet estimated to have been created in 2200 BC describes the “three healing gestures” of washing a wound, making the “plasters” and bandaging the wound. The term “plasters” was used to describe our modern day equivalent, bandages.
The contents of an Egyptian first aid kit would have included bandages made from a mixture of natural substances such as plants, herbs, mud and clay. They were applied to wounds to protect them from dirt and absorb fluids. Oil was applied to stop bacteria from growing as quickly and it also prevented the fabric from sticking to open wounds. An early wound care product was beer, used by the Sumerians, who brewed around 19 different types for health purposes. The Mesopotamians used a mixture of pine turpentine, fur turpentine, daisy, tamarisk, milk and beer, which were mixed together and boiled in a copper pan, spread across the wounded skin and covered in a bandage to prevent infections.
Aims of First Aid
Scholars believe the use of first aid was prevalent across ancient civilisations mainly to treat wounds suffered on the battlefield. First aid enabled seriously wounded soldiers to return home, while men with minor wounds could rejoin their battalion during conflicts. In an era when many of the world’s civilisations were going into battle to win new territories, the ancient Greeks knew many different bandaging techniques that saved lives between 1200 BC to 146 BC. Items of Greek pottery recovered during archaeological digs have shown physicians bandaging wounded soldiers during wars.
Greek physicians understood the importance of hygiene in medical care. First, they washed the wound with clean boiled water, mixed with wine and vinegar containing acetic acid. They differentiated between fresh, acute, chronic and non-healing injuries. The Hippocratic collection of studies in wound healing described how “sweet wine and a lot of patience” should cure an “obstinate ulcer”.
The ancient Romans, between 753 BCE and 476 CE, also understood the dangers of battlefield injuries and the treatment and aftercare required. They detailed the different signs of inflammation and infection as being “redness, swelling, heat and pain.” As the most technologically advanced civilisation of their time medically, they invented new first aid techniques. As they continued their military quest to conquer Europe, the Roman legions travelled with a range of horse-drawn ambulances and skilled surgeons, even setting up the first field hospitals. Their methods primarily focused on immediate care on the battlefield, with soldiers known as Capsarii being trained to provide initial assistance. Their first aid kits contained ointments made from a mixture of aloe, vinegar and the henbane plant to treat wounds. Seriously injured troops were treated first in field hospitals and then transported to larger camp hospitals for longer-term recovery. Many of the techniques created by the Romans are still used today in modern warfare, especially ambulances and field hospitals in war zones.
Modern First Aid Developments
In the 12th century, the Knights Hospitaller contributed to the development of first aid by providing care to pilgrims and soldiers during the Crusades, establishing some of the earliest hospitals. Otherwise known as the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, the organisation was founded in 1113, following the First Crusade of 1099.
Benedictine monks had been caring for sick, injured and impoverished Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem when the Hospitallers were recognised by Pope Paschal as a distinct order of knights to provide medical care. Known as the Order of St John, the organisation has been active throughout history, their work spreading all over the world including in the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe. Five organisations continue the traditions of the Knights Hospitaller today under the banner, the Order of Saint John.
Renowned not only for his surgical techniques during battles, but also for his well-organised fleet of 340 horse-drawn ambulances, stretcher-bearers and field surgeons; an early first aid pioneer was French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte’s surgeon, Dominique Jean Larrey, in the 19th century.
The Red Cross played a huge role in standardising first aid practices following its launch in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1863 by businessman Henry Dunant, who had witnessed the suffering of troops during the Battle of Solferino in 1859. The initiative spread to the UK in 1870, when a public meeting in London campaigned for a national society to help wounded soldiers during conflicts. The British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War was formed, based on rules laid down by the Geneva Convention in 1864, allowing medics to work unimpeded in war zones. It became the British Red Cross in 1905. The formation of the St John Ambulance Brigade in England in 1877 also began the evolution of modern first aid techniques and their presence is a familiar sight at events today, from football matches to music festivals.
Workplace Safety
The industrial revolution of the 19th century impacted workplace safety and the need for first aid, as the rise of factory work led to frequent injuries due to new heavy machinery and electrical equipment. The UK’s first official first aid manual was published by St John Ambulance in 1878, spurring the need for first aid kits to be used at work by trained personnel.
During the 20th century, technological advancements changed training and accessibility, with new laws being introduced to protect workers’ safety. Legislation such as the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 made it mandatory for UK businesses to maintain first aid supplies to treat injured employees immediately. Employers must provide relevant equipment and have trained personnel on the premises to ensure staff and customers’ health and safety needs are met. Businesses must carry out a risk assessment, based on the number of employees, workplace hazards and location, to draw up a first aid response plan. This ensures people receive prompt care in the event of an illness or injury.
Having a first aid programme in place can also reduce the company’s risks of being taken to court for breaching their legal duties, as monitored by the Health and Safety Executive.
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