science · 15 May 1923 · 101 years ago
In 1923, Listerine was registered as a trademark. The modern Listerine is a mouthwash, but the original amber-coloured product was a disinfectant for surgical procedures, dating back to its formulation in 1879 by Dr Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Wheat Lambert. The name they chose incorporated the name of the English surgeon, Joseph Lister, famous for performing the first antiseptic surgical procedure on 12 Aug 1865 and pioneering wider use of antiseptics by surgeons. Other than that, Lister had no relationship to the product, or to the company founded in 1884 by Jordan Wheat Lambert to market it. In a few years, its usefulness was discovered as an oral antiseptic, and in 1895, Lambert extended the sale of Listerine to dentists. By 1914, it became available as a non-prescription mouthwash.
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