Unusual original railroad first-aid packet manufactured by Bauer & Black, Division of The Kendall Company, Chicago.
Remarkably, this example retains all of the contents advertised on the box:
* 4 original sealed Curity Gauze Pads with attached bandages for large wounds* 4 original sealed Curity Gauze Pads with attached bandages for small wounds
All 8 individual dressings remain sealed in their original Bauer & Black / Curity wrappers.
Documented Railroad Connection:Research into the wording on the box located the applicable Illinois Commerce Commission General Order No. 124, concerning first-aid kits required aboard trains and engines operating in Illinois.The Commission’s order of December 19, 1928 specified as the minimum contents:Four (4) aseptic gauze pads with bandage attached for large woundsFour (4) aseptic gauze pads with bandage attached for small woundsThose requirements correspond exactly to the contents specified on this Bauer & Black No. 14 box and to the eight sealed dressings still present in this example.
The order further required first-aid equipment on engines and cabooses in yard or road service and in cars carrying passengers.
Condition:
Original vintage condition as photographed.The cardboard box shows age, handling wear, staining, edge/corner wear and some deformation. One original box tab has detached but is present and will be included. It has deliberately not been glued or taped back into place.
All eight advertised Curity dressing packets are present and remain unopened/sealed. The wrappers show expected discoloration and aging.
Approximate box dimensions shown in photographs.
Dating:The box identifies Bauer & Black as a Division of The Kendall Company and uses period Curity packaging. I have not found a manufacturing date printed on this example, so I am not representing it as having been manufactured in 1928. The 1928 date refers to the Illinois Commerce Commission regulation with which the packet was designed to comply.
Research Reference:Illinois Commerce Commission, General Order No. 124, In the matter of first aid kits to be provided on all trains or engines operating in Illinois, Springfield, Illinois, order dated December 19, 1928.The regulation has been located in a digitized archival copy. (HathiTrust) The archival page image is not included in this listing; the relevant language above has been transcribed for historical identification.
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