Popular petrolatum
Evan Zabawski | TLT From the Editor October 2015
Celebrating the sticky salve’s sesquicentennial.
Vaseline’s patent cites use as “a good lubricator,” but industry acceptance is low.
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MANY FOLKS MAY NOT REMEMBER THE NAME ROBERT AUGUSTUS CHESEBROUGH, but nearly everyone is familiar with his most famous creation. Not only has it been around for 150 years, its versatility has extended far beyond simply healing dry skin.
Chesebrough was born in London in 1837 but was raised in New York City. He clarified kerosene from sperm whale oil until his job became obsolete in 1859 by the discovery of oil in Titusville, Pa. Curious to see if other products could be made from petroleum, Chesebrough visited Pennsylvania where he became intrigued with a byproduct of the drilling process called rod wax. He observed the oilmen using this substance as a fast-healing ointment on their cuts and burns.
Five years of experimentation culminated with an 1865 patent for filtering distilled petroleum or coal oil with bone-black (a form of charcoal produced by heating bone in the presence of a limited amount of air). This early incarnation of purified petroleum jelly gave rise to another five years of effort to perfect the extraction and purification techniques, arriving on vacuum distillation.
In 1870 Chesebrough introduced his Wonder Jelly to the marketplace on a large scale by building his first factory in Brooklyn, N.Y. He promoted his product by travelling around in a horse and cart performing demonstrations where he would burn his skin with either acid or an open flame, then apply the jelly to the injury while showing previous injuries that had healed with the aid of his salve.
In 1872 he registered a new name for his product. It is believed to have originated from the German word for water, wasser, and the Greek word for oil, elaion. This hydrating petroleum product was now called Vaseline®. The patent cites the following uses: “currying, stuffing and oiling all kinds of leather,” “a good lubricator,” “as a pomade for the hair” and, of course, “an excellent substance for glycerine cream for chapped hands.”
In 1883 a fan of his product who “used Vaseline® every day” bestowed him with the highest honor she could: Queen Victoria knighted Chesebrough. He died 50 years later at the ripe age of 96, nearly 35 years longer than the median life expectancy at the time. His longevity may be attributed to his daily consumption of a spoonful of Vaseline®, but that has not been verified scientifically, and poison control centers recommend against swallowing such products.
While industry acceptance of Vaseline® as a lubricant is low, the portrayal of its use during a pivotal scene in the German WWII film Das Boot remains etched in my memory. The character of war correspondent Lt. Werner is touring the submarine with his camera and is quite taken by the activity in the torpedo room. The sailors are performing routine maintenance by removing a torpedo from its launch tube and are applying Vaseline® over the entire outer surface before replacing it.
The thought that torpedoes require lubrication had never crossed my mind, but it certainly makes sense when considering that it would help to reduce the friction against the slides as the torpedo exits the launch tube, and it could help reduce the drag on the torpedo through the water. Submarine Hydraulic Installations (NavPers 16169) prescribes Vaseline® for seal lubrication during installation, so I guess there are reasons for a submarine to stock Vaseline®.
Using Vaseline® to lubricate pageant contestant smiles or aiding in the insertion of earrings or removing a ring from a finger or even to prevent chafing only hint at its versatility. Some folks have taken to applying Vaseline® to bird feeders poles to prevent the ascension of squirrels.
Slippery, soothing and supportive—happy sesquicentennial Vaseline®!
Evan Zabawski, CLS, is a business development/reliability specialist for ALS Tribology in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. You can reach him at evan.zabawski@alsglobal.com.