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Show In emergencies your life could depend on a readily i available medical history; the problem is how to provide the information 5 without encouraging abuses one night in a Boston hotel, a traveling Late doubled over with pain. He stumbled to the telephone and cried, "Get a doctor! I'm sick!" Then he slumped to the floor, unconscious. In a few minutes, police broke into his room. At first, it just looked like another guest had partied too much.. But as they examined him, they spotted an identification bracelet around his wrist. On it was a short message that its wearer suffered a bleeding ulcer; it also gave the man's blood type. The police realized .then that he was having an internal hemorrhage. They called an ambulance, and when the salesman was wheeled into the hospital emergency room everything was ready for " an adequate transfusion. Those few words on the salesman's bracelet had saved his life!v This case isn't too rare. Some 50 million Americans face similar dangers. In an accident, or emergency, the life of any of them can be seriously endangered by a rescuer unaware of his special medical condition. Rpsides diabetics and ulcer Datierits. the 50 mil- -. nnn inp np nearrana siroKe uauenus. cu Yljiii Weir uiiiii - 1 here is a cnance mat you are among uiese ju million, since 10 percent of all persons inocu lated against tetanus and 10 percent of all who get penicillin develop allergies to these preparations. In many cases, adverse reactions are fatal. It's the same kind of reaction that comes from a transfusion with the wrong kind of blood. Dr. Tibor Jack Greenwalt, director of the American Association of Blood Banks' Central File for Rare Donors, in Milwaukee, Wis., explains: "You don't know if you have a rare blood type unless you've been tested, and I doubt that 10,000 people have been so tested in the world.', This is true despite the general blood classification administered by the armed services. In the United States, at least nine manufacturers make lockets, bracelets, tags, medals, watch bands, and cards. The largest is the Medic-Ale- rt Foundation of Turlock, Calif., a nonprofit corporation with 55,000 members and new branches opening in Canada and Australia. Mem-- 1 1 ' ' ' One 1 medical-identificati- - - I ' i, . . ' j 1 - 1 t . i . :; -- ka-cnm- a he gets a seizure. A California girl no longer fears shot being given what would be a death-dealiof tetanus antitoxin if she is taken Unconscious to a hospital. Medical identification could well saveyour life, if you're among that precarious 50 million. Until a universal tag is decided on, ask your doctor which type might be, best for you. And wear it! ng . on - By THEODORE BERLAND FsxxnJLly COVER December 31, mi 7 Photographed by John Bright from Shostal, a confettied friend is helping to ring in the new year but it looks as if he'd rather end the party and get some shut-ey- e. 0 1 proDiem oi nrittir tri WP1"V rVl?l1rPn--- Prtm KWflTV-. In ping them. And they should be forgeryproof. Many;, drunks today carry phony "I'm a Diabetic" cards ' to stay clear of jail. Another sticky problem is the form of identification. Wallet cards can be burned or become separated from a victim; necklaces and bracelets can be a hazard if caught in a moving part. Whatever form it takes, the identification should contain this information; name and address, kind of disease or health condition, blood type, status . of tetanus immunization. The cases in which medical tags already have saved people are dramatic. There is, for example, the New York woman who was fortunately spared a shot of penicillin to which she was allergic while she was delirious from fever. A Miami Une. , . difficulty about sucn tags is a In peacetime, only half our men in uniform wear their dog tags, so how can we get civilians to wear theirs? "What's more, people generally do not want to be labeled by a tag.:There -- . on s asthmatics, epileptics, victims of cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy, and drug addicts. .Also in this group are hemophiliacs, plus thousands with such special postsurgical conditions as having only one kidney or a breathing hole in the neck (which, if covered, could smother the patient) and untold millions seriously allergic to a wide range of drugs. r medical-identificati- a Iiediial - ; bers are issued special bracelets or necklace tags with the Foundation's emblem and a serial number. In emergencies, the rescuer phones the central file at Turlock and obtains the victim's medical history. In addition, the Ohio Academy of GeneraT Practice has issued more than 20,000 cards through its members; the American Heart Association issues similar cards for heart patients on anticoagulants; a pharmaceutical house and the National Medical Foundation for Eye Care distribute identification cards to persons taking drugs for glaucoma, and an aluminum manufacturer offers diabetics aluminum tags stamped with the letter "D" and carrying emergency data. In view of the need, then, should every American wear a medical dog tagf - Only the Office, of Civil and Defense Mobilization feels thai every American should wear a tag, though riot necessarily a medical one. Most experts believe only persons with conditions that can be affected by emergency care should wear them. LEONARD $. DAVIDOW President and Publisher WAITER C. DREYFUS Vice President PATRICK E. 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