Walk down any main street in the country and there are people with a variety of diseases going about their daily lives. With the benefit of modern technology, people with haemophilia, kidney disease, diabetes and other conditions can live much like everyone else, with no outward signs of illness.

However, a hidden illness is not a non-existent one. There is always the possibility that an emergency can occur which would require immediate medical attention. The ability of doctors to provide the right kind of care as quickly as possible can mean the difference between life and death in certain circumstances.

The growth of acute allergies in recent decades is another case in point. People who suffer acute reactions to allergens from peanuts to wasp stings can be affected by anaphylactic shock, a severe shutdown of bodily systems, unless they receive the correct treatment immediately.

The difficulty for doctors is in discovering the personal medical details of patients who require immediate emergency treatment, when those patients are unable to tell them about their conditions and medical needs. Often a patient might be unconscious when medical help arrives and if there is no one else present who can tell doctors about the patient's medical history, the result can be life threatening.

Such was the case for Linda Collins, the teenage daughter of Dr Marion Collins and his wife Chrissy. She cut her finger while playing in the garden with friends and as her parents were out of town, the neighbour who was minding her took her to hospital. There, she was given a sensitivity test for an anti-tetanus injection. Her reaction to the horse serum contained in the antitoxin was so acute that she went into shock and for days was on the brink of death.

Chrissy Collins, co-founder of MedicAlert,
who died recently aged 94.

Though she lived, her father, Dr Collins, became concerned that a similar situation could occur again in future. With his wife, he designed a bracelet and had a jeweller engrave on it the details of Linda's vital medical information. The bracelet was also embossed with the serpent and staff emblem of the medical profession to attract the attention of any doctors who might have to treat Linda in the future. Linda's bracelet became the first MedicAlert emblem.

Since Linda Collins's scare in 1956, millions have signed up for the scheme, and countless lives have been saved. The Foundation currently boasts four million people members world-wide and is now running in countries as diverse as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, United Kingdom, Greece, United States, Iceland, Zambia, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.

Of these members, over 200,000 are based in Britain and 5,000 in Ireland. However, the MedicAlert Foundation is not satisfied as they believe there are literally millions of people in Ireland and Britain who have hidden medical conditions that might place them at risk in an emergency medical situation.

"The number of people that could benefit from this service is growing all the time", says Pat McCoole, an Irishman who works for MedicAlert's International Advisory Group. "As technology advances, so there are more people who really should have the safeguard of carrying their medical details in an easy to access format. Even people with contact lenses or heart implants should have one".

Pat wears the bracelet himself, even though his only physical complaint is an ulcer. He believes that the MedicAlert emblem has almost universal appeal, as nearly all of us have some complaint that, in an emergency situation, doctors need to know about.

"An ulcer is hardly life-threatening, but with an ulcer I can not be given aspirin", he explains. "If I were to have a heart attack, one of the first things that an emergency team will do is try to thin my blood. I wear one just to make sure that I am not given aspirin. Wearing the MedicAlert emblem means that people are not given the wrong treatment by accident."

However, the service has advanced far beyond Dr Collins's idea of an engraved necklace. Today, MedicAlert holders are supported by a 24 hour hotline number which is also engraved onto the emblem. In an emergency, medical staff can contact MedicAlert and obtain all of a patient's medical history over the telephone.

More than a bracelet - MedicAlert
emblems save hundreds of live each year.

"We tend to talk about it as a bracelet, but really it’s the service behind the bracelet", says Pat McCoole. "Recently an Irishman with a heart condition got into difficulties while on a plane to Majorca. Fortunately the flight crew spotted his MedicAlert bracelet and on arrival at Majorca they had alerted a medical team who were waiting, armed with his medical records".

That particular holidaymaker survived a heart attack at 30,000 feet thanks to the fact that the crew were able to communicate his MedicAlert ID number to doctors on the ground. By the time the plane came in to land, a cardiac team was waiting, equipped with the particular instruments and medication that he required to make a full recovery.

MedicAlert has compiled a top ten list of reasons why members carry the emblem and sign up for the service. Top of the list is penicillin allergy, an important condition to inform doctors about as antibiotics are so commonly prescribed and offered for all manner of infections. Major complaints, such as diabetes, asthma and epilepsy also feature high on MedicAlert's list, as might be expected.

However, the scheme is also recommended for otherwise healthy people who have any type of implant, or who possess a rare blood group. Both of these pieces of information could be vital in the case of a medical emergency.

A common misconception about MedicAlert is that is it a privately run enterprise. This often arises due to the charge associated with registering with the Foundation and obtaining a necklace or bracelet. The costs - around £20 for the emblem and a £10 annual fee - are to cover the charity's costs of running a 24 hour global helpline and an enormous database of private medical information.

"The people involved are not there to make money, they are there to save lives", states Pat McCoole. "MedicAlert is promoted in Ireland by the Lions Club International. Every Lions Club promotes it in their locality. If someone needs the bracelet and can't afford it, we can provide assistance".

Being a charity MedicAlert does not have the money to pay for big advertising, he says. "All of the money goes into improving the service. That's why we're always looking at ways to promote it. There's the educational aspect too - the emergency services, family doctors and medical services have to be made aware of MedicAlert, and Lion's Club volunteers are the ones who tell them".

For those still in any doubt, the Foundation's work has been endorsed by medical organisations worldwide and is supported in Ireland by the Royal College of Physicians, St John's Ambulance, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.

MedicAlert emblems and membership can be obtained through Lions Clubs, which are organised in most towns. Equally, you can apply for membership by writing to MedicAlert for an application form:

MedicAlert Foundation
1 Bridge Wharf
156 Caledonian Road
London N1 9UU.

Tel: 00 44 20 78333034.

You should consult your GP before applying as your doctor can advise you what medical details you should have included on the emblem.