CHAPTER 3
The Earliest Products

Aseptic gauze and cotton were among the first Johnson & Johnson products. Many of these early products were impregnated with antiseptic agents or medication, and sealed in glass or metal containers to keep them sterile. These antiseptic gauzes and cottons helped revolutionize surgical care by greatly reducing mortality rates from surgical infection. Many of the names of the Company’s early products, such as the ones above, were descriptive of the product or its ingredients. Others -- such as Dr. Grosvenor’s Bellcapsic Plaster -- were named after physicians who contributed ideas for new