It was Josiah Sr. who continued his father 's civic mindedness and began the company tradition of sending aid to disaster victims . Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , the company sent much needed medicine to support recovery efforts and provided relief after the 1936 Johnstown Flood . In 1917 , Lilly Field Hospital 32 , named in Josiah 's honor , was equipped in Indianapolis and moved overseas to Contrexville , France , during World War I , where it remained in operation until 1919 . Throughout World War II , Lilly manufactured more than two hundred products for military use , including aviator survival kits and seasickness medications for the D-Day invasion . In addition Lilly dried more than two million pints of blood plasma by the war 's end
Johnstown Flood
Johnstown Flood
Eli Lilly and Company