Stop the Bleed™ in the Royal Navy During the Napoleonic Wars

Stop the Bleed™, the education program created by the American College of Surgeons to address life-threatening bleeding, came from concepts of combat casualty care in tactical settings in the US military. Tourniquet control of exsanguinating extremity injuries dates from its first recorded use in the French military in the 17th century and its general issue to ships of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Wound packing and pressure dressings, specifically in junctional sites and head and neck, also date from the 16th century, illustrating the priority of hemorrhage control throughout the history of military medicine.