Definition of Medic Alert

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Medic Alert: Originally,a bracelet that a person could wear to warn medical professionals in an emergency about a serious health problem. In 1953 Linda Collins, the daughter of Dr. Marion Collins and Chrissie Collins, had a near-fatal reaction to a tetanus antitoxin scratch test. The realization that their daughter could have died if given the full tetanus injection suggested the need for personal identification. Her father suggested that she carry a written warning about her allergy. She did, attaching it to a bracelet. Her parents later designed a silver identification bracelet, which bore not only a listing of her allergy but also the emblem of the medical profession -- two serpents wrapped around a staff -- and the words "Medic Alert." The Collins family founded the Medic Alert Foundation in 1956 to provide emergency access to the medical records of people with potentially life-threatening conditions.