Gray gowns to white coats: from protecting doctors to protecting patients

　　Before the 20th century, European and American doctors dressed to the point of resembling gentlemen. Doctors in towering bowler hats and gray robes walked through early hospitals. At that time, the modern concepts of microbiology and sterilization had not yet been established, and doctors dressed in this way solely for 'protection' - to avoid contamination of the clothes underneath their robes by blood, dust, and so on. The gray robe made the stains as less visible as possible. In medieval Europe, doctors also wore "beak masks", head-to-toe gray or black robes, which looked strange and scary, but is a witness to the history of mankind's fight against the plague.

　　White coats have been worn by doctors for just over a hundred years and are seen as a symbol of cleanliness and neatness. One theory is that the British surgeon Joseph Lister, who first popularized surgical sterilization. Lister, a British surgeon, was the first to popularize surgical sterilization. It was from him that white coats became popular. Nowadays, many medical schools in the United States conduct a "white coat conferral ceremony" when students graduate. This ceremony is extremely solemn and symbolizes the beginning of a medical career. About 50% of patients believe that a doctor looks like a doctor when he or she wears a white coat over his or her everyday clothes.

　　Obviously, white is the easiest color to get dirty. Just a little bit of blood or dust makes the pure white color look unsightly. This promotes the cleaning and disinfection of white coats, which in part protects patients. If you have a chance, pay attention to your doctor's white coat, see if the collar and cuffs are black and stained, and if the texture is strong.

　　Of course, there are doctors who complain, "White coats nowadays don't look good, they are uniform and have no character." People in white coats are hanging around in hospitals, and even big-name professors are obliterated. Many hospitals or departments put a lot of effort into the details of their white coats. Embroidered on the pocket part of the hospital's icon, labeled clearly department, name, will make a white coat appears "high" up. People rely on clothes and horses rely on saddles. The name will be woven or printed on the white coat, easy for patients to recognize and increase the sense of trust, may help the doctor-patient communication.

　　Blue and green surgical gowns: easing visual fatigue for doctors

　　But when you get to the operating room, the doctor changes into a different set of clothes, and the color is not white, why is that? First of all, when the doctor enters the operating room, he or she will change into a set of scrubs or hand-washing gowns, which are considered "pajamas" in the operating room, loose and comfortable, and easy to wear. If you like to watch medical dramas, the doctors on Grey's Anatomy wear a navy scrubs and a white coat.

　　As the name suggests, a scrub gown or hand-washing gown is a garment used by doctors to wash and sanitize their hands before going to the operating table. The scrubs have always maintained their own unique simple style. Short-sleeved V-neck tops, loose-fitting pants, easy to wash and wear, breathable and comfortable to the touch. The standard image of a surgeon on stage is to wear a surgical gown over the scrubs. Surgical gowns and scrubs are similar in color, mostly focusing on light blue, green and other colors.

　　If white represents cleanliness, why was it all blue and green during surgery? Before I explain it to you, take a look at this picture below.

　　Please stare at the black dot on the left side of the picture for at least 30 seconds, then quickly move your eyes to the black dot in the white area on the right side. At this point, you will see a set of circles of a different color - blue-green. This phenomenon also occurs if you close your eyes quickly after looking at the picture on the left. In psychology, this is called the "after-image visual effect". That is, if you look at a color for a long time, when you look elsewhere, you will see a complementary color to the one you just saw. For example, red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple.

　　When the surgeon is operating, he or she stares intently at the blood-red tissue or organ, and in order to alleviate the green distress caused by the "after-image visual effect," the same color can be used to immediately alleviate it. Therefore, the use of light blue or green gowns is less likely to cause visual fatigue. If you have the opportunity to enter an operating room, pay attention to the color of the walls. Unsurprisingly, most of them are light blue or green, which is also used for the purpose of alleviating visual fatigue for doctors.

　　Another reason is that when staring at red or pink colored organs for a long period of time, the brain tends to get fatigued and in turn develops a 'fuzzy' vision of the red color and is unable to see clearly. Shifting the gaze to green from time to time, on the other hand, maintains the brain's sensitivity to the color red and also ensures accurate alignment of the scalpel.

Dr. Clove is here to answer that question.

Before the 20th century, doctors in Europe and America dressed like gentlemen. Doctors in towering bowler hats and gray gowns walked through early hospitals. In those days, before the modern concepts of microbiology and sterilization were established, doctors dressed in this way to 'protect themselves' - to avoid contamination of the clothes underneath their gowns with blood, dust, etc. The gray gown made stains as inconspicuous as possible. The gray robe made the stains as less visible as possible. In medieval Europe, doctors also wore "beak masks," head-to-toe gray or black robes, which, although scary, are a testament to mankind's struggle against the plague.

White coats have been worn by doctors for little more than a hundred years and are seen as a symbol of cleanliness and neatness. One theory is that Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, was the first to popularize surgical sterilization. It was from him that the white coat grew in popularity. Today, there are many medical schools in the United States that perform a 'white coat conferral ceremony' when students graduate. This ceremony is extremely solemn and symbolizes the beginning of a medical career. About 50% of patients believe that a doctor looks like a doctor when he or she wears a white coat over his or her everyday clothes.

Obviously, white is the easiest color to get dirty. Just a little blood or dust makes the pure white color look unsightly. This promotes the cleaning and sterilization of white coats, which to a certain extent serves to "protect the patient". If you have a chance, take a look at your doctor's white coat to see if the collar and cuffs are black and whether the texture is scratchy.

Of course, there are also doctors who complain, "The white coats nowadays are unattractive, uniform and featureless." People in white coats are hanging around in hospitals, and even big-name professors are "obliterated". Many hospitals and departments put a lot of effort into the details of the white coats. Embroidered on the pocket part of the hospital's icon, clearly labeled department, name, will make a white coat looks "high" up. A man depends on his clothes and a horse depends on his saddle. Weaving or printing the name on the white coat makes it easier for patients to recognize and increase their trust, which may help doctor-patient communication.

Surgical Gowns: Relieving Visual Fatigue for Doctors

But when you get to the operating room, the doctor changes into a different set of clothes, and the color is not white, why is that? First of all, when the doctor enters the operating room, he or she will change into a set of scrubs or hand-washing gowns, which are considered "pajamas" in the operating room, and are loose, comfortable, and easy to put on. If you like to watch medical dramas, the doctors on Grey's Anatomy wear a navy scrubs with a white coat on the outside.

As the name suggests, a scrub gown or hand-washing gown is a garment used by doctors to wash and sanitize their hands before going to the operating table. The scrubs have always maintained their own unique simple style. Short-sleeved V-neck tops, loose-fitting pants, easy to wash and wear, breathable and comfortable to the touch. The standard image of a surgeon on stage is to wear a surgical gown over the scrubs. Surgical gowns and scrubs are similar in color, mostly focusing on light blue, green and other colors.

If white represents cleanliness, why was it all blue and green during surgery? Before I explain it to you, take a look at this picture below.

Please stare at the black dot on the left side of the picture for at least 30 seconds, then quickly move your eyes to the black dot in the white area on the right side. At this point, you will 'see' a set of circles of a different color - blue-green. This phenomenon also occurs if you close your eyes quickly after looking at the picture on the left. In psychology, this is called the 'afterimage vision effect'. That is, if you look at one color for a long time, when you shift your eyes to look elsewhere, you will see complementary colors to the one you just saw. For example, red to green, blue to orange, and yellow to purple.

When doctors are operating, they stare intently at blood-red tissues or organs. In order to alleviate the green distress caused by the "after-image visual effect", it can be immediately eased by simply using the same color. Therefore, the use of light blue or green surgical gowns is less likely to cause visual fatigue. If you have the opportunity to enter an operating room, pay attention to the color of the walls. Not surprisingly, most of them are light blue or green, which is also for the purpose of alleviating visual fatigue of doctors.

Another reason is that when staring at red or pink colored organs for a long period of time, the brain tends to get fatigued and in turn develops a 'fuzzy' vision of the red color and is unable to see clearly. Shifting the gaze to green from time to time, on the other hand, maintains the brain's sensitivity to the color red and also ensures accurate alignment of the scalpel.

Let's get to the point and get to the gossip. A surgeon on Twitter once wrote, "There is another school of thought in the surgical world: operate in scrubs and no underwear. I have a psychological barrier to this practice. Back then, internship, I saw the professor open the knife when the surgical pants loose on the ground, they can not carry, begging the old nurse to help, was complimented on the ass white.

The tweet, which is very much like a paragraph, is not idle. After all, most of the doctors and nurses who go into the operating room wear scrubs on top of their close-fitting underwear. Sometimes they wear a pair of socks for fear of cold feet. Other than that, there is no body.

On second thought, it's too beautiful an image for me to look at.

Author / Lu Su丨Science writer

Editor / Lee Bad

When it comes to doctors, people's first impression is that of a white angel in a white coat. White coats can be said to be the representative characteristics of doctors. And when doctors do surgery, the surgical gowns they wear are blue or green, why is this? In fact, there is a certain scientific reason.

Why do doctors wear white coats?

1、White coat with dust-free and anti-static function. White coat is a kind of dust-free clothing, in addition to hospitals, many industries will be used, such as pharmaceutical, food, bio-engineering, aerospace, aviation and other industries, doctors wear white coats is also a reflection of the dust-free requirements.

2. White symbolizes purity.A white coat worn by a doctor is seen as an image of cleanliness, neatness, safety, and sterile health. At the same time, it is a definition of the doctor's profession.

3. Taking the role of protecting the patient.White is the most easily soiled color, and the slightest stain, blood or dust can be revealed, which promotes the cleaning and disinfection of white coats, and to a certain extent, plays a role in protecting patients.

How come the scrubs are blue or green again?

1. The principle of complementary colors in optics.Optically, red is complementary to green. During surgery, the patient's blood and internal organs are mainly red and orange, and the complementary color of red is green, and the complementary color of orange is blue, so the surgical gowns are usually set to blue or green, which is using the principle of complementary colors.

2. Relieve eyestrain for doctors.Blue or green surgical gowns, in a complementary color environment, can alleviate the intermittent eyestrain brought about by surgery. Knowing that a doctor's surgery can take as short as half an hour or as long as ten hours, blue or green surgical gowns can alleviate the eyestrain caused by the doctor's prolonged focus on the eyes and reduce surgical accidents.

3. Green gives hope, blue gives rigor.On the operating table, many patients are life is at stake, doing surgery is also a high-risk work, green represents the vibrant, while the blue represents the rigor and seriousness, so the surgical uniforms are mostly blue or green.

4. Stronger resistance to dirt.When a doctor is performing surgery, if the clothing is white and sticks to the blood, it will be harsh and frightening, whereas green clothing is generally more resistant to stains and cannot be seen.

When we think of doctors, white coats are probably the first thing that comes to mind.

Before the 20th century, European and American doctors dressed like gentlemen. Doctors in towering bowler hats and gray robes walked through early hospitals. In those days, before the modern concepts of microbiology and sterilization were established, doctors dressed this way solely for protection - to avoid blood, dust, etc. from contaminating the clothes underneath their robes. The gray robe made the stains as less visible as possible. In medieval Europe, doctors also wore beak masks and head-to-toe gray or black robes, which looked strange and scary, but were a testament to mankind's struggle against the plague.

White coats are worn by doctors and are seen as a symbol of cleanliness and neatness. There is a theory that Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, was the first to popularize surgical sterilization. It was from him that white coats became popular. About 50% of patients believe that a doctor looks like a doctor when he or she wears a white coat over his or her everyday clothes.

We all know that white is the easiest color to get dirty. Just a little bit of blood or dust makes the pure white color look unsightly. This promotes the cleaning and disinfection of white coats, which to a certain extent serves to protect patients.

Blue and green surgical gowns: easing visual fatigue for doctors

When we got to the operating room, the doctor had changed his outfit again, and the color wasn't white yet.

First, when the surgeon enters the operating room, he or she changes into a set of scrubs or hand-washing gowns, which are considered "pajamas" in the operating room and are loose, comfortable, and easy to put on.

As the name suggests, a scrub gown or hand-washing gown is a garment used by doctors to wash and sanitize their hands before going to the operating table. The scrubs have always maintained their own unique simple style. Short-sleeved V-neck tops, loose-fitting pants, easy to wash and wear, breathable and comfortable to the touch. The standard image of a surgeon on stage is to wear a surgical gown over the scrubs. Surgical gowns and scrubs are similar in color, mostly focusing on light blue, green and other colors.

When the surgeon is operating, he or she stares intently at the blood-red tissue or organ, and in order to alleviate the green distress caused by the "after-image visual effect," the same color can be used to immediately alleviate it. Therefore, the use of light blue or green gowns is less likely to cause visual fatigue. If you have the opportunity to enter an operating room, pay attention to the color of the walls. Unsurprisingly, most of them are light blue or green, which is also used for the purpose of alleviating visual fatigue for doctors.
Another reason is that when staring at red or pink colored organs for long periods of time, the brain tends to fatigue and in turn develops a blurred vision of the color red and is unable to see clearly. Shifting the gaze to green from time to time, on the other hand, maintains the brain's sensitivity to the color red and also ensures accurate alignment of the scalpel.