A medical bag (or doctor's bag or physician's bag) is a portable bag used by a doctor or other medical professional to transport medical supplies and medicine.[1][2]
Traditionally, the medical bag was made of leather, opened on the top with a split-handle design. During the American Civil War, physician's medical saddle bags were used.[3] Modern medical bags are made of various materials and come in various designs that can include many pockets, pouches, and zippered or hook-and-loop openings.
American Indian medicine men and shamans use a medicine bag. A battle bag is used in the military.
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The original Wonder Woman comic book character carried a medical bag (as a Lt. Nurse) in which she carried her costume and accessories.[4]
In 1956, Lynn Pressman Raymond (of the Pressman Toy Corporation) created the Doctor Bag to help children feel more comfortable with visits to the doctor. Seeing the anxiety of her children on visits to the doctor due to ill health or for vaccinations, she created the Doctor Bag in 1956—which included a stethoscope, syringe, and other pretend medical supplies—to help kids deal with their fears.
In 1955, the MV Joyita, a charter boat, was found partially submerged after being missing for 5 weeks. Among the items found onboard was a doctor's bag containing a stethoscope, a scalpel, and four lengths of blood-stained bandages.
In the television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–71), Granny Clampett is a backwoods doctor who has a medical bag.[5]
Doctor Ross (Charles Isaiah Ross, 1925–1993) was an American blues musician nicknamed "Doctor" because of his habit of carrying his harmonicas in a black bag that resembled a doctor's bag.
In the 1984 film Crimes of Passion, the "Reverend" Peter Shayne (played by Anthony Perkins) carries a doctor's bag full of sex toys.
Books about doctor's bags include What's in a Doctor's Bag? by Neil B. Shulman and Sibley Fleming,[6] and My Doctor's Bag (2002, ISBN 978-0789485205) by Anne Millard.
Some video games, such as the Battlefield series (2002–present)[7] and Fallout: New Vegas (2010), use medical bags to increase the player's health.
The ITV British police drama Heartbeat 2006 episode "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" is about a nurse, Carol Cassidy (played by Lisa Kay), who rushes off to treat an emergency, but absent-mindedly leaves her medical bag in her car which contains dangerous drugs; Carol has to fight for her career when local boys steal the bag.