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Show MEDIC HEALTH ALER-T- Life Saver for Victims of Hidden Diseases A doctor's daughter nearly dies from adverse reaction to medical treatment and from this near-traged- y comes a warning system to help millions w u i Yy c oy By MARION C. COLLINS, M.D. daughter quickly into the medical center, a handkerchief wrapped tightly around her bleeding finger. 14-year-- MYwalked As a doctor's daughter, Linda was conscious of infection dangers. In my absence, she had gone to her physician-uncle to treat the cut After cleaning and bandaging it, he scratched a droplet of tetanus antitoxin into his niece's skin to check for reaction before giving her the full injection. Within seconds, Linda collapsed gasping for breath, struck down by the often fatal allergic reaction, anaphylaxis. Her uncle took swift counteraction. After three days in an oxygen tent, Linda finally was pronounced out of danger. But knew she would never be out of danger. What could be done to protect my daughter against a possible fatal injection? We decided on a note taped to her wrist and a sized warning card. But when she would soon be away at college, these precautions could be overlooked. Whn I suggested a small tattoo, both Linda and her mother vetoed it. Finally I came up with the idea for bracelet with an eye& chain-lin- k catching disk. On one side in red were put the words, "Medic Alert" and the medical symbol ; on the other was engraved "allergic to tetanus antitoxin." Linda was pleased, and my anxiety wa3 relieved. But the bracelet also started me to think about all those people one in every five, according to the American Medical Association who live in fear that their hidden medical problems will not be discovered when in shock or unconscious. Wouldn't a bracelet like Linda's lift this fear, literally speaking, for them in an emergency? I talked to physicians. wallet-- Family Weekly, August 31, 1969 officials h the police, and and with their enthusiastic encouragement founded nonprofit Medic Alert International. To the design of the original bracelet, we added an identification file number and our Turlock, Calif., (Zip code 95380) phone number, making it possible for physicians to call collect at any hour, to learn more about a member. Nearly 20 percent of those receiving penicillin injections andor other antibiotics develop allergies. I recall Seattle girl, allergic to a penicillin, who became unconscious from pneumonia while at school and had been rushed to a hospital. She public-healt- BANK NOW. mirmedical High among today's acles are transplants for eye cornea, kidney, heart which, to be successful, must be done within minutes. HUMAN-ORGA- Medic N Alert has established the infirst nationwide formation bank. Medical information address are and the made available, making possible swift legal permission for the operation. The member wears an "Organ Do- nor" Medic Alert bracelet, requesting doctor to call Turlock, Calif., (Zip code 95380) immediately. To date, 1,500 people have enrolled as organ donors. Parental consent is needed for under-2- 1 donors. organ-transpla- next-of-kin- nt 's wrote: "Since I was unable to talk, my Medic Alert bracelet spoke for me, otherwise I would have been giv16 is too young to en penicillin. die. I am grateful for the bracelet." We have learned that there are some 200 hidden diseases and conditions. The Medic Alert bracelet can help guard against possible fatalities. For example, epilepsy affects the lives of about 1,500,000 Americans. A ... Bracelet disc reveal what hidden disease the wearer is afflicted with. grateful epileptic wrote: "I blacked out on my way to work. Since my seizures resemble drunkenness, police would have arrested me on the spot had it not been for my Medic Alert disc. Prior to becoming a member I had been jailed numerous times for drunkenness." There are about 2 million known diabetics who are taking insulin. One of them is Dan Rowan, of Rowan & tv show. He Martin's "Laugh-In- " must, of course, follow a rigid health routine in order to lead a relatively normal life, but, as an added protection, he also wears a bracelet. On diabetic, upon arriving in a Miami Beach hotel, wrote: "I was about to leave the room to go io dinner. The next thing I remember is waking up the following morning in a hospital. The bellhop had found me and called an ambulance, I was told. Upon hospital arrival, two doctors noticing my Medic Alert disc had proceeded to search my wallet, found the Medic Alert card, and treated me for diabetes as the card prescribed. For those who wear contact lenses, the eye cornea can be severely damaged if they are left in too long. Recently a letter of thanks came to us from a grateful young woman, one of the thousands wearing contact lenses. She said: "While surfing, I received a bad cut and several scarred areas near one eye. It never occurred to me to mention that I was wearing contact lenses when I was taken to hospital emergency. But the doctor noticed my Medic Alert necklace stating that I wore them. He told me that I could have received additional injury if he had examined my eyes with the lens in place. So my Medic Alert disc saved my eyes from fur- ther injury." Then there are the 11 million heart patients who are often vulnerable to common anesthetics, sedatives, and stimulants; another 11 million and rheumatics who are taking cortisone and its derivatives; many cardiacs whose heartbeats are regulated by electrical pacemakers all can have the protection and peace of mind that Medic Alert membership affords. The cut on my daughter's finger eventually resulted in my giving up medical practice and devoting all of my time to Medic Alert, which now has 300,000 members and branches in 10 countries. Through Medic Alert, I am confident that I have saved more lives than would have been possible in the operating room. More Help for Medical Emergencies Get more practical answers to hundreds of medical problems bleeding, bites, burns, choking, convulsions, diabetes, appendicitis, and much more. Avoid tragic results of not knowing what to do in family emergencies. Mail only $6.95 plus 35f shipping for "The New Modern Home Physician" to F. W. Books, Dept. AS 1,17, Box 707, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10017. Complete sets of two anatomical manikins included free. |