Who is the inventor of the plaster?

The inventor of the plaster as we know him is Earle Dickson. This American came from New Jersey and was a cotton buyer at Johnson & Johnson. They provided the medical world with ready-made bandages for patients. That company was founded by the 3 Johnson brothers Robert, James and Edward. The headquarters of this company was also in New Jersey. Earle had just married his wife Josephine in 1920. This marriage was a bit awkward because Josephine was not good at cooking. Because she kept cutting her fingers or burning herself on the stove, Earle came up with the idea of a plaster.

The beginnings of the inventor of the plaster

He started cutting cotton gauze when his wife had cut or burned herself. He attached this with pieces of tape. This led him to develop the plaster so that his wife could easily bandage herself. Little did he know that the plaster would become such a revolutionary invention as it is today. He told his boss about the home situation and how it was solved. His boss then immediately started working on it. However, Earle was not born yesterday and quickly applied for a patent on this product.
Unbeknownst to the inventor, he has also contributed to fashion trends. But the most important thing he has done is to relieve the burden of care.

The children's plaster

The inventor of the plaster also thought of the children. After all, they have more accidents than adults. Of course you also want to reassure the child. You can do this with a bright colour or a Disney character for example. There are many types and sizes of plasters designed for children. And they are proud to show them off to their friends.

The continuation of the plaster

He left Johnson and Johnson not much later to start his own business. The first band-aids were even handmade, but they didn't work as perfectly as they do now. At that time not all resources were available but later the brand Band Aid of Earle became known worldwide. He was also rewarded for his invention and asked by Johnson & Johnson to become vice president of the company. This allowed a sterile plaster to be developed in 1924 by the inventor of the plaster. In 1951, especially for the little ones, pictures were made on the plasters. This was another gap in the market with the well-known Disney characters.

The inventor of the European plaster

In Europe, the inventor of the plaster is a completely different person. We are mainly familiar with the hansaplast plaster. It was invented by a German pharmacist in 1882. However, the company was taken over 8 years later because it was too much work for the pharmacist. However, the plaster has only been on the market since 1922. That's 40 years later! These consisted then of a bandage with leukoplast. This way, you could dress your wound at home without having to go to the doctor. In 1930, the first antibacterial plaster was introduced. The production of this plaster was too expensive and therefore taken off the market.

The purpose of the inventor of the plaster

The original purpose of the inventor of the plaster was to bind wounds. This was because his wife had many accidents in the house. But today, a plaster is of much greater value. For example, it reassures children when they have fallen. Because they can choose a color or figure themselves they like it instead of it hurting. But it is also a good invention for women. They are particularly enthusiastic about the blister plaster. This is an invisible plaster for blisters which they get, for example, with heels. On one side there is adhesive which sticks to the skin and the other side is used to keep the plaster in place.

Breakthroughs of the European patch

In 1953 Hansaplast designed the very first waterproof plaster. This was the first plaster to be sterile and individually wrapped. So you were no longer dependent on the long strip but could buy them in various sizes. Nowadays there are so many different plasters that the inventor of the plaster could never have foreseen. In the kitchen we have blue coloured hygiene plasters. But we also have special plasters for fingers for example. This also makes it less scary for children when they have a fall. They are often proud of the nice plaster they get and they often think it is cool too!

What did the inventor of the plaster achieve

The inventor of the plaster has not only invented a handy means to connect people but also set a fashion trend. Especially for children there are plasters in colours or with Disney characters. And for the hospitality professionals there are the well-known blue sterile plasters. This trend started in 2008 in New York but is still expanding. Since 1971 there are also plasters on the market with funny texts. And even limited editions with Swarovski crystals for 7 dollars a plaster. And there are more examples to mention.

Why is the patch so important?

Especially people in the care sector are very grateful to the inventor of the plaster. They are much less busy with patients who have fallen and only have a graze. But they are also happy with the different formats that have been developed over the years. This way you can close a wound without having to stick a plaster all over the skin. But women are also very grateful to the inventor. This is because they suffer a lot from blisters when walking on heels. For this there are special blister plasters that are transparent and therefore not noticeable. We expect a lot of these plasters in the future!