"Tabloid" first aid kit, No.717, for public service vehicles, in japanned metal case, by Burroughs Wellcome and Co., London, 1931-1932

‘Tabloid’ was a brand patented by Henry Wellcome in 1884 and was used for a wide range of Burroughs, Wellcome & Co products, such as this first aid kit. It was later extended to other products such as first aid kits. The word ‘tabloid’ referred to the compressed nature of the drugs. This medical meaning may be lost to time, but the word remains in common usage in the newspaper trade.

This kit was designed for public service vehicles such as buses, trams and trains. The kit contains equipment to treat minor injuries: bandages, a tourniquet to stem heavy bleeding, burn dressings, a splint to stabilise bone fractures, a pair of artery forceps and smelling salts used to bring around someone who has fainted.