Adhesive Bandages 1920 – A Practical Treatment for Cuts

In ancient times, healers used dressings made from a variety of materials (such as spider webs, honey, and feces) to treat cuts in the skin and close wounds. Doctors did not know that bacteria and other germs needed to be kept out of wounds until germ theory was developed in the late 1800s. Before gauze and cotton surgical dressings became widespread, American hospitals often used compressed sawdust to cover wounds.

Today, it is almost impossible to imagine treating cuts in the skin without dressings such as adhesive bandages. Their remarkable popularity has secured their place in the history of medicine. 

Band-Aid, the name under which these adhesive bandages were introduced, is a brand produced by the American company Johnson & Johnson (J&J). The bandages were invented in 1920 by J&J employee Earle Dickson. Dickson would apply temporary dressings to the cuts and burns suffered by his wife, Josephine, who frequently had unfortunate accidents. He did this by securing gauze to her wounds with strips of tape. To make life easier, Dickson developed the idea of placing a series of gauze pads along the middle of adhesive tape. He applied a layer of crinoline fabric to the adhesive surface to prevent the tape from sticking to itself and keep the dressings relatively clean. Josephine then only had to cut a bandage from the roll.

Dickson eventually persuaded J&J to sell the new bandages. Demand was initially low because they were sold in strips three inches (7.6 cm) wide and 18 inches (64 cm) long. Public interest increased after bandages of different sizes were introduced and free bandages were provided to scouts and butchers. In the following years, Dickson became the company's vice president. 

To date, more than 100 billion Band-Aid bandages have been sold. 

Historical Figures Mentioned in This Article: Earle Dickson (1892–1961)

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