In the hospital the surgical staff wears scrubs which are the shirts and pants of the medical uniform. In the U. K. They are known as Theatre Blues. They are designed simply to stay dirt-free and launder easily. They are cheap to replace if damaged or stained. It is now more popular to see medical professions wearing their scrubs outside of the hospital. Wearing surgical scrubs has a level of status associated with it. Even some American prisons have adopted them for their prisoner's attire.
Originally surgeons did not wear any type of special garment until the 20th century. Surgical procedures were done in an operating theater where the surgeon wore his street clothes with a butcher's apron to protect him from the blood stains and he operated bare-handed using non-sterile supplies and instruments. Sutures were made from silk and guts and were sold with reusable needles. Packing gauze was made from floor sweepings in cotton mills. Today cleanliness is emphasized to diminish infection and messiness on one's clothing.
In 1918 surgeon's began to wear masks to protect themselves from the patient's diseases. The operating theater staff began to wear heavy rubber gloves to protect themselves from solutions they used to clean the equipment and the room, the surgeons followed suit but not happily. In the 1940's the science of wound infection led to the adoption of using antiseptic gowns and drapes for the operating room. Instruments, dressing and supplies began to be sterilized by either ethylene oxide gas or high pressure steam.
The operating room dress was always white to give the appearance of cleanliness, but with the bright lights and the all white surroundings it led to eyestrain for the surgeon and the staff. In the 1950's and 1960's hospitals changed from the stark white look to green which gave high contrast, bright red blood was less noticeable and it reduced eye fatigue.
In the 1970's surgical clothing reached it's current status, the short sleeve v-neck shirt and drawstring pant or the short sleeve calf-length dress made from cotton or a cotton/poly blend. A bouffant style cloth cap or tie-back was worn with a synthetic textile or gauze mask and closed toe shoes and latex gloves. This is now known as surgical greens and became known as scrubs due to the nature of being worn in a scrubbed environment.
Old nursing uniforms were modeled after a nun's habit because nun's were the caretakers for the injured and sick. This is why so many hospitals are affiliated with Catholic names. The nursing hats were modeled after the nun's habit. Today the nursing uniform is easy to take care of and keep clean.
During the Crimean War Florence Nightingale wore gray tweed dresses that had long sleeves and large skirts. Early nurses wore a brown scarf and a white cap, similar to middle class housewives so as not to be mistaken for the help. The American Civil War maintained the style but the color changed to a brown, black or gray dress with a white apron and matching white bonnet. Wearing white became a symbol of sterility and made the public feel it was linked to prevention of bacterial and viral infection. Nurses adopted wearing white uniforms with black shoes.
With the advent of white leather shoe polish the shoes changed to white and the classic nurses outfit was born. In the 1960's that all changed and with the rise of feminism the nurses complained and the cap was lost and scrubs were introduced. In the 1970's pantsuits came into fashion and advanced degreed nurses began to wear lab coats. The medical uniform is now bright and nurses feel they lift the patients spirits.
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