Petroleum jelly: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:35, 28 January 2006

Revision as of 00:36, 28 January 2006

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Petroleum jelly was discovered by [[Robert Chesebrough]] in [[1859]] in [[Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn]], [[New York]]. Chesebrough was intrigued by the [[paraffin]]-like substance that stuck to the drilling rigs. The riggers hated the material because it caused the rigs to seize up, but they used it on cuts and burns because it hastened healing. Chesebrough bottled the petroleum jelly and took it back to his office where he tested it on himself.

He gave out free samples across New York and within six months he had twelve wagons distributing the product, under the trade name ''Vaseline'', across ;kdzhfmgv;ahfd;gvakhmvthethe state. The term Vaseline was coined as a combination of the German word for water, ''Wasser'' (pronounced Vahser), and the Greek word for oil, ''elaion''.

In [[1872]], Chesebrough patented ({{US patent|127,568}}) the process of making petroleum jelly. The [[patent]] said that [[distillation]] by heat under [[vacuum]] involves less heat than without the vacuum, and yields a better quality of jelly. The product is then filtered through [[bone char]].