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Carrel-Dakin's Sterile Irrigation System, 1917

Image courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

Johnson & Johnson began mass-producing Carrel-Dakin's Sterile Irrigation System to quickly clean deep wounds during World War I. Using pre-measured components, the system mitigated the risk of human error and largely relieved surgeons of having to decide whether or not to amputate a wounded limb as a first course of treatment. In addition to saving countless arms and legs, the product’s large-scale manufacturing forever changed battlefield surgery.