The medical chest was a key tool in the medical care provided by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in the remote areas of Australia, with over 3,000 of these chests distributed throughout the country.
The RFDS was established in 1928 by the Reverend John Flynn, a minister of the Presbyterian Church.
In 1939, Dr Keith Sweetman identified radio time was being wasted whilst the caller had to spend time identifying what was in the first aid kit, before the Dr could advise treatment. In 1942, the RFDS standardised medicine chests and their contents. The RFDS medical chests contained a range of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical items. Each item in the chest was labelled and recognised by a number and not by its generic or trade name. Numbering each item provided consistency within all the chests and assisted the caller to recognise the requested items easily and quickly. (Flying Doctor Service Medical Chest contents – Queensland Museum Network Learning Resources website).