Tattoos Serving Medical Purposes?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/DiabetesResource/story?id=4028385&page=1

This article came as a surprise to me because I had never heard of anyone getting a tattoo on their body to serve as medical information for a doctor or EMT.  It’s interesting to get both sides of the situation here.  On one side there are the citizens who have Diabetes, implanted defibrillators, etc. and want to communicate to the EMT’s and doctors that piece of information, even when they are unconscious.  On the other side you have people who still don’t want to defile their body, if that’s what they consider tattooing to be, and don’t get the tattoos. Some doctors and EMT’s themselves are in the latter groups because they feel that in an emergency and rushed situation EMT’s arn’t going to be looking for tattoos because there just isn’t enough time.  All in all it’s still a very interesting concept and one that is rivaling the popular braclet because braclets are easy to lose and people don’t always wear them if they don’t consider them fashionable.

Hayk.