Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandage used for minor wound care, consisting of a strip of gauze centered on surgical tape so it can be applied without assistance. It was invented in 1920 by Johnson and Johnson employee Earle Dickson in Highland Park, New Jersey, originally to treat his wife's frequent small kitchen injuries; early handmade versions sold poorly until free samples distributed to the Boy Scouts of America boosted demand. Johnson and Johnson introduced machine made Band-Aids in 1924 and sterilized versions in 1939, and distributed millions during the Second World War; the company estimates more than 100 billion have been sold worldwide. The brand is now distributed by Kenvue, the consumer health company spun off from Johnson and Johnson in 2023, and the name has become a genericized trademark for adhesive bandages generally in the United States, Canada, and other countries.
Facts
FAQs
Why is a Band-Aid built as a pad of gauze centered on a strip of tape?
A small gauze pad on the center of a tape strip suited minor cuts better than the bulky bandages of the time.
The design answered a practical problem. The bandages available when Earle Dickson was working at Johnson and Johnson were too bulky for a small cut, so he attached a small piece of sterile gauze to the center of a strip of surgical tape. That arrangement keeps the pad over the wound while the tape holds it in place, and it let a person cover a minor injury without help.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Band-Aid (Wikipedia)
Article text
The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey, for his wife Josephine, who frequently injured, cut and burned herself while cooking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band-Aid, lead section
Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023.
In Group: Wound Care, Dressings and Bleeding Control, Introduction
Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023.
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