Main Entry: Lis·ter bag

Variant(s): also Lys·ter bag \ˈlis-tər-ˌbag\

Function: noun

: a canvas water bag used especially for supplying military troops with chemically purified drinking water

Lyster, William John Le Hunte (1869–1947), American army surgeon. Lyster had a career as a surgeon in the United States Army medical corps. Interested in the field of public health, he began experiments in water purification with the use of sodium hypochlorite. In 1917 he introduced a rubber-lined heavy canvas bag with a tight-fitting cover. A dose of chlorine solution added to the water effected purification within 30 minutes. The Lister bag quickly became a standard piece of army equipment and was used extensively in both world wars.