Examples Of Medical Advances In The 1920s

The 1920s was ultimately a time of prosperity and growth for the United States as stock markets boomed and the manufacturing industry skyrocketed. A lot of these innovations and advancements would result in the same prosperity that we have today in the year 2018. Whether it was the transportation innovations that changed how we get around while ensuring individual safety, and the medical advancements saved lives and prevented illnesses that today are nonexistent. “In each year of the decade, the economic indexes grew higher and higher, fueling people's optimism and spending habits. Credit became a popular purchasing method. A variety of new products emerged to entice people to buy more (Routledge 1-2)”. All of these examples conclude that the

One of the most overlooked medical devices of our time was invented in the 1920s. It is commonly found in households all across the world and prevents infections. Band Aids were invented by a man who cared deeply for his wife’s wellbeing. “Earle Dickson (1892–1961), a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson, developed the Band-Aid while trying to make a convenient, easy-to-apply bandage for his wife, Josephine, who was prone to many minor cuts and burns in the family kitchen (Routledge 6)”. His optimism would lead to him selling the rights to a company that would globalize the product. The actual assembly of the Band-Aid was both simple and intelligent. “He placed squares of cotton gauze at intervals on an adhesive strip and covered them with crinoline. When she needed a bandage, his wife just cut as much of the strip as needed to dress a wound. Johnson & Johnson adapted Dickson's idea and began manufacturing the product, eventually rewarding him with a vice presidency within the company (Routledge 6).” It is very astonishing to see a simple idea become the to-go product for minor injuries in the households of families all across the world. Which ultimately contributes to the idea of how the optimism of the 1920s fueled the growing economy of new products. It is possible to link the exponential growth to that of the aid provided by the United States government to companies all across the nation. “The American government provided generous financial support to American businesses during the war, which spurred the growth of technologically advanced manufacturing throughout the country. Those industries most helped were automobile, aircraft, and radio manufacturers. These industries had existed before the war, but federal spending allowed them to grow into massive operations that employed thousands of people. The large number of employees could quickly produce large quantities of products. In the 1920s, massive factories were established around the country. Rural