Our Beginning

Johnson was among the 10 million people who visited the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He was in part drawn to the World’s Fair by its International Medical Congress, the largest gathering of doctors in American history to date.

While many doctors in the audience were skeptical of Lister’s surgery, Johnson was convinced that it was the future of medicine.

So inspired by Lister’s antiseptic methods, Johnson parted ways with his business partner, Seabury, and started Johnson & Johnson with his two younger brothers, Edward Mead and James Wood in 1886. Their company manufactured the world’s first mass-produced, sterile surgical supplies.

On a brisk January day in 1886, James found himself aboard a train passing through New Brunswick, New Jersey. He looked out his window and noticed a “for rent” sign on a nearby factory building.

Johnson & Johnson manufactured the world’s first sterile surgical products, including sutures, absorbent cotton, and gauze. Ready-made dressings decreased infection rates and saved lives.

Itinerant salesmen traveled far and wide to distribute Modern Methods across the U.S. Within a matter of months, they’d given out 85,000 copies to doctors and pharmacists.

Modern Methods was hailed as a major contribution to the field. It also served as a sales guide for Johnson & Johnson products, which were listed among the back pages.

The guide helped spread germ theory and antiseptic surgical methods. Just 13 years earlier, in 1875, surgeons had operated in street clothes and worked with unclean hands.

By 1889, most surgeons had adopted Lister’s methods. They operated in sterile robes. Here, a modern surgical team wears white uniforms and uses sterilized tools.

Johnson & Johnson helped make sterile surgery a reality. Since its founding in 1886, the company has revolutionized the field of medicine, manufacturing the world’s first mass-produced antiseptic medical supplies.

During the 20th century, the company continued to refine these supplies and reach new milestones in the field. Through product innovation and strategic acquisitions, Johnson & Johnson has become a world leader in healthcare.