Skip to content

    Recently Viewed

      Listening...

      Mosquitoons 1902

      Mosquitoons: The innovative mosquito repellent Johnson & Johnson sold over a century ago

      Buzzz. It’s a familiar warm-weather nuisance: mosquitoes. In the early 1900s, the pests also transmitted serious diseases, so the company produced an in-home fumigator designed to repel the insects.

      Share Article
      share to

      Summer is traditionally a time for beach days, barbecues, late sunsets and that other harbinger of the season—mosquitoes.

      Today, the insects are mostly an annoyance for the majority of people living in the U.S., where the risk of contracting the Zika virus is thankfully low. But at the turn of the 20th century, mosquitoes were a serious public health concern in America, when diseases like malaria were a problem, and antibiotics and vaccines weren’t readily available.

      At the time, window screens were the main way people could keep mosquitoes out, but they provided less than adequate protection.

      Enter Mosquitoons: an in-home disinfectant fumigator that Johnson & Johnson introduced in 1902.

      “The product was designed to kill mosquitoes and the germs they carried into the house,” explains company historian Margaret Gurowitz.

      The kit contained small candles that could be set on a plate, and the fumes produced would eliminate disease-carrying insects or drive them away.

      Mosquitoons was one of many in-home fumigators that were sold at the time, enabling consumers to take action to help keep their families healthy—a mission Johnson & Johnson carries forth to this day.

      When you’ve been innovating for over 135 years …

      Johnson & Johnson has a virtual museum where you can learn more fun facts about its rich history.

      More from Johnson & Johnson

      Innovation
      Blue latex-gloved hands holding a beaker filled with yellow liquid
      Innovation

      IBD rates are rising in communities of color. Can these innovators help?

      Scientists aren’t sure what’s behind the upward trend. That’s why Johnson & Johnson Innovation put out the call to address this troubling health disparity.
      Innovation
      DNA illustration genetic material
      Innovation

      Harnessing the human genome is the future of healthcare—and Johnson & Johnson is helping lead the way

      The company’s partnership with the largest human genome sequencing project in the world will increase scientists’ understanding of genetic diseases and help create new interventions. Here, a look at the breakthroughs that have guided the understanding of the power of DNA.
      Health & wellness
      1123 BTN-Lung Cancer-Iede2.jpg
      Health & wellness

      By the numbers: Who gets lung cancer?

      Each year, more people die of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Learn how Johnson & Johnson is dedicated to improving outcomes by integrating the company’s MedTech and Innovative Medicine expertise.
      You are now leaving JNJ.com and going to a site with a different privacy policy. Please click below to continue to that site.