An imperial-royal first aid rescue kit in Austria's high-mountain warfare 1914-1918: antisepsis, antivenin, and water hygiene.

The development of modern first aid around the year 1900 was intricately connected to industrial standardization, bacteriological advancements, and the dissemination of global medical knowledge. This study examines the material culture of military first aid in high-altitude warfare during the First World War, utilizing a first aid kit from the Imperial-Royal Landwehr documented in the Ortler region (South Tyrol). The research integrates object analysis, comparison with manufacturer catalogues and international first aid kits from the era, and historical contextualization. The first aid kit exhibits a distinctly functional modular design, incorporating traditional dressing materials alongside various antiseptic preparations, standardized aseptic dressings, and more sophisticated instruments for medical interventions. Of particular significance are an industrial kit for drinking water disinfection (Bayer, Leverkusen) and an injection kit with antivenin according to Calmette (Pasteur Institute), which highlight prophylactic hygienic and colonial medicine dimensions. This discovery indicates that first aid in a military context had evolved beyond mere emergency surgical care to encompass a preventive strategy aimed at epidemic prevention and the integration of global innovations into the regional theater of war.