The purpose of first aid remains the same through the ages: to prevent pain, disease and death. But the need is different in different places and at different times.

It should not be forgotten that in large parts of the world the most immediate threat to human life is starvation and malnutrition, together with lack of hygiene and basic medical care. The kind of first aid most needed under such circumstances is food and medicine. The key to a long-term solution is education in self-help. The prosperity and experience of the Western world must, in the future, be used more systematically to booster development towards self-sufficiency in the less developed countries. These are most important aspects that should be dealt with more often. The time frame of this article forces me to concentrate on conditions in the industrial world.