Sphagnum moss in World War I: the making of surgical dressings by volunteers in Toronto, Canada, 1917-1918.

Abstract

In World War I, the shortage and cost of cotton and the unexpected need for an immense supply of surgical dressings made it necessary for Britain to experiment with a number of materials as a replacement. Though many previously used fibres and materials were tried, sphagnum moss, which had been judged beneficial in 1881 by G. Neuber, a German surgeon, and which had been adopted by the French War Department in 1895 as an absorbent dressing, became popular because of its availability, cheapness, and suitability. In 1918 Canada played an important part in the making and shipping of such dressings to Britain, Europe, and Siberia. Looking closely at the work done in Toronto, it was found that the availability of the moss was influenced by the Canadian climate, the making of the dressings was labor-intensive, and the cheapness of the product was dependent upon the volunteerism of women. For these reasons, in spite of the opinions of Drs. J. B. Porter and E. Archibald, both of McGill University, that sphagnum moss dressings had a future and would "take an important place in all hospitals," the substance did not become a replacement for cotton. However, in the 1980s it has again been studied and is being used as a "new absorbent material" for surgical dressings by Johnson & Johnson, manufacturers of health care products.