All about Scrubs, A Short History of the Medical Uniforms
Scrubs seem to be such a familiar clothing medical wear so it is hard to believe that not so long ago this was not the case. Surgical attire, popularized by the abbreviated title scrubs, was named such for the scrubbed in environment practiced just before surgery by doctors, nurses and other operating staff. This vital step in preparation for surgical procedures not only ensured cleanliness but was one of the more important steps for maintaining a sterile environment. The method the operating staff used to clean hands and arms - by scrubbing in before gloving - popularized the term.
The medical uniform called scrubs are defined as hats, shirts, pants and loosely fitted coats and were not worn in the hospital setting prior to well into the 20th century. Before this period, surgeons wore their street clothing. No other special garment was utilized for medical operations except for an apron that resembled a butcher’s apron. The apron was worn as a possible protection from bodily fluids and blood to the physician’s casual clothing. Operations were performed bare-handed and the mark of a successful, hard-working, in demand surgeon was directly related to the amount of blood and fluids that people could see on their clothing.
Attempts by many to reduce puerperal fever brought about early advances in antiseptics. Medical staff began washing their hands in antiseptic chloride solution before examining patients but with few other precautions. That brought down rates of infection in other patients. Then the Spanish-flu pandemic in 1918, brought about the practice of surgeons wearing cotton gauze masks in surgery, but this was first and foremost to protect themselves from patients' diseases. During this time, rubber gloves were designed for surgical practice. Because these gloves were not irritating to the hands operational staff started using them to protect their hands from cleansing solutions and surgeons adopted the practice.
The understanding of wound infections and advances in surgical antisepsis during the 1940s became a forerunner to the adoption of antiseptic drapes and gowns for the
operating rooms. The initial focus on cleanliness favored the color white for gowns, drapes and other elements of the hospital operating environment but because of the reflection of light that the all white setting caused, eye strain became prevalent. The white color also emphasized any blood and fluids that would splash across the clothing and alarmed many patients’ families when they came in contact with the operating staff.
White as the color preference began to wane by the 1950s, replaced by varied shades of green. It was found that the green color contrast produced lesser eye fatigue, thus providing a better distinct operating environment.
Medical wear (“surgical greens, “defined as such because of the cotton material and their use in a scrubbed setting), by the 1970s, had developed to the apparel we now recognize as medical scrubs. The hospital operating uniform is best described as a short-sleeve V-necked shirt and drawstring pants or mid length dress. Latex gloves, surgical gown, a paper/ gauze mask, and a surgical scrub/ bouffant style hat complete the medical wear.
Currently the medical scrub establishment has increased it viability in professional wear through innovative apparel. The patent medical hat that has been developed by MedCap® is such an invention. This exclusive hat invented in Colorado, allows for heat to escape at the top yet is conformable and easy to wear. It is made in various styles by the MedCapStore Company.
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