Until the end of the 19th century, doctors looked more intimidating than they do today. They didn’t have the white coats we are used to: they treated patients dressed in long black frock coats and casual trousers. To avoid getting bloody during tooth extractions and other surgeries, they wore aprons that were usually worn by butchers. In addition to all this, they worked without gloves, used silk threads and reusable needles. Many operations were performed in full view of people – for a small fee, anyone could watch the nerve-tickling “show”. Yes, the appearance of doctors a couple of hundred years ago was really scary. But then medical workers began to wear white, green or blue coats and shirts. And there were several good reasons for such changes.
The appearance of white coats for doctors was a very important innovation for humanity. Source: regions.ru
Why do doctors wear white coats
Doctors began wearing white coats only closer to the 1900s. Around that time, the English surgeon Joseph Lister discovered that human wounds become inflamed due to the penetration of infectious bacteria into them. Thanks to his discovery, it also became clear that diseases can be transmitted through physical contact.
A couple of hundred years ago, doctors were no different from ordinary people. Source: fishki.net
White coats always clearly showed that the doctor's body had come into contact with potentially infectious blood or other fluid from a sick person. When doctors noticed stains on white clothes, they would wash them so that the pathogens of one patient would not get into their body or the bodies of other people. This greatly reduced the likelihood of epidemics.
White coats were also good because they were made of cotton or linen. They could be washed in hot water, which kills most dangerous bacteria and viruses – it became very easy to disinfect clothes. But the aprons used earlier were usually washed in moderately hot water, because boiling water quickly discolored the colored fabric.
With the advent of white coats, the appearance of doctors has changed dramatically once and for all. Source: mirvracha.ru
In addition, when doctors started wearing white, it became easier for patients to recognize medical workers. And it was easier for doctors themselves to recognize their colleagues among a crowd of people. In addition to all this, many people associate white with cleanliness, kindness, and professionalism – doctors no longer resembled stern executioners with bloody aprons.
Doctors also began to wear gloves. True, surgeons were not thrilled about this at first, because initially the gloves were thick and it was difficult to use instruments in them. After doctors, nurses began to wear white coats.
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Why do surgeons have blue or green coats
A little later, surgeons began to abandon white coats and switched to green and blue uniforms. This happened only in the 20th century, when modern operating lights appeared in operating rooms.
The lamps in operating rooms are very different from the lamps in our homes. Firstly, they imitate bright daylight well, because it helps to see the tissues and internal organs of patients better. Secondly, they are very bright and diffuse the light so that there is no shadow cast by hands and instruments – this is again necessary so that surgeons and their assistants can see everything very well. Thirdly, the lamps in operating rooms emit almost no heat, so as not to allow the surgical field and the doctors themselves to overheat.
Operating lights are high-tech devices, so they are expensive. Source: med-pro-ves.ru
The lights in the operating rooms are bright, and when surgeons in regular gowns looked at the red blood for a long time, when they looked away to the white surface, green spots appeared in front of their eyes. This effect also occurs when a person's eyes are exposed to bright light – after that, for some time, a person sees a floating spot. During a complex operation, this illusion can greatly distract the surgeon, so blue and green gowns became a salvation for them, because against such a background, illusory spots do not appear.
The secret of surgeons' blue and green coats can also be considered solved. Source: meds.ru
Blue and green coats are also good because these shades allow doctors to better notice red blood. This feature helps to quickly notice bleeding and stop it in a timely manner – for a patient, blood loss can always cost his life.
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Thanks to the fact that doctors now have special clothing, medicine has made great strides forward. Most likely, this simple step saved the world from many epidemics and saved the lives of millions of people. Today we take doctors' coats for granted, but as it turns out, they have a very long and fascinating history.