Frank Carlyle Harmon (January 17, 1905 - March 25, 1997) was a former head of fabrics research for Johnson and Johnson. Johnson & Johnson ( is a global American Pharmaceutical, Medical devices and consumer packaged goods Manufacturer founded in 1886 He is best known for his patent, held jointly with Billy Gene Harper of Dow Chemical, that made the possible the production of modern "superabsorbent" disposable diapers. The Dow Chemical Company () is an American Multinational corporation headquartered in Midland Michigan. "Nappy" redirects here For other uses see Nappy (disambiguation and Diaper (disambiguation.
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Background
Harmon was from Provo, Utah, and he was a lifelong Mormon. Provo is a city in and the County seat TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon He attended Stanford University, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1927, a master's degree in 1928, and a Ph.D. in 1930. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. He married the former Delta Arbon in 1929. After working for the Marathon Paper co. of Wausau, Wisconsin, for a time, Harmon was employed by Johnson and Johnson in 1947. Wausau (pronounced /wô'sô/ is a city in and the County seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin,
"Superabsorbent" disposable diapers
The disposable diaper, in its original form invented by Victor Mills of Proctor & Gamble, required a core of thick rolls of paper in order to adequately contain fluid and guard against diaper rash. Victor Mills (1897-1997 was a chemical engineer for the Proctor and Gamble company Procter & Gamble Co ( P&G,) is a Fortune 500, American global corporation based in Cincinnati Ohio, that manufactures a wide Diaper rash ( US) or nappy rash ( UK) is a generic term applied to Skin rashes in the Diaper area that are caused by various skin This made the diapers undesirably heavy and bulky. In 1966, Harmon and Harper each independently discovered that a small amount of a highly absorbent polymer could be more effectively used in place of rolls of paper in the diaper's core. A polymer is a large Molecule ( Macromolecule) composed of repeating Structural units typically connected by Covalent Chemical bonds The two men each filed substantively identical patents on the polymer at the same time.
Because diapers are a low-margin product, it was deemed economically unfeasible to put Harmon and Harper's idea into mass production while the polymer was still under their patent protection. Profit margin, Net Margin, Net profit margin or Net Profit Ratio all refer to a measure of Profitability. After the patent expired in the mid-1980s, however, manufacturers began to introduce "superabsorbent" disposable diapers, made with the polymers in place of excess paper in the diaper's core. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The size and weight of disposable diapers then dropped substantially. This resulted in significant savings, both with regard to the cost of shipping large quantities of diapers from manufacturers to stores, and in the shelf space needed for the diapers in those stores.
Newer studies on superabsorbent disposable diapers also effectively ended the debate as to whether cloth diapers or disposable diapers more effectively prevent diaper rash. It is now accepted that babies who wear superabsorbent disposable diapers experience diaper rash at a lower general rate than do those who wear cloth diapers.
Later life
Harmon worked for Johnson and Johnson for 23 years. At the time of his 1970 retirement, he held 39 patents. He then went on to join the research department of Brigham Young University and later to found Eyring Research Institute. Eyring Research Institute was founded as a non-profit organization on September 6 1972
Harmon was widowed in 1987, remarried in 1988 and died in 1997 after a lengthy illness.
References
- Gladwell, Malcolm. (2001, November 1). "Smaller; The disposable diaper and the meaning of progress." The New Yorker, Page 2. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry
- Larsen, Kent. (2001, November 30). "How a Mormon Researcher Started the Disposable Diaper Revolution", Mormon News
- (1997, March 27). "Disposable-diaper developer, Carlyle Harmon, dies", The Deseret News
- (1997, November/December). "Class Notes: Obituaries", Stanford Magazine
- Kazzi, A. Antoine, M.D. (2006, October 10). Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral "Pediatrics, Diaper rash", eMedicine.com
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