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If you surf online or look at the supermarket shelves the variety of plasters that are available can become a very complicated affair. There are different materials, shapes and sizes and all claiming to be the best…but just where did the first plaster come from?

Well to trace the heritage of the modern day plaster you have to go back to 1920 when Earle Dickinson invented the first adhesive bandage. At the time Earle Dickinson was a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson and the story goes that his wife was ?not very adept in the kitchen?. She was always cutting herself in the kitchen and because applying gauze pads and adhesive tape was difficult to do on her own, she often summoned her husband to complete the task.

Johnson & Johnson, the company Earle was working for, had been making sterile dressings and adhesive tapes for decades, but nobody had ever put the two together. Dickson affixed squares of the cotton gauze to a long strip of tape and covered the whole thing in crinoline, which helped to stop the adhesive tape sticking to itself. Mrs Dickson could now simply cut a piece from the strip, peel off the crinoline and bandage her wound.

Not that the first years sales were ground breaking, but over the next few years the product became more streamlined and grew into what everyone now knows as Band Aid ?selling over 100billion over the last 80 years.

Nowadays the plaster has progressed into many different ranges, materials, sizes and colours and some of these are a legal requirement to stock. For example the blue detectable range of plasters are specifically designed for the catering industry and are required under the Food Hygiene Regulations Act that when handling or preparing food blue detectable plasters should be used on all cuts and grazes.

Washproof plasters offer a water resistant and ventilated adhesive plaster which helps to provide discreet protection when you don’t want the plaster to be seen, whereas fabric plasters are made from a breathable material that improves healing time and reduces the risk of further infection.

So that’s Blue detectable, washproof and fabric…but what’s this hypo-allergenic type? A hypo-allergenic plaster is a latex free adhesive plaster which reduces the risk of an allergic reaction.
The First Aid Warehouse specializes in the supply of first aid equipment and diagnostic products to both the public and trade. They offer an extensive range of products including washproof, fabric and blue detectable plasters.
With a wealth of industry knowledge, their online e-commerce platform provides a safe and secure environment to purchase from. They accept all major credit and debit cards and welcome orders from members of the public and health organisations including Primary Care Trusts, Care Homes, Surgeries, schools etc. If you wish to set up a business account, you can contact them either via sales@firstaidwarehouse.co.uk or on 0845 6121217

RESOURCES:

This article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK’s premier supplier of medical equipment medical plasters , blood pressure monitors, first aid kits , medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes . We supply equipment to medical professionals, the care industry and the general public

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