Before there were operating rooms, there were operating theaters. Yes, that is right-operating theaters. These were huge rooms like today’s auditoriums. Surgeons performed the surgeries on a table, which stood on a stage. The surgeon wore street clothes, with his “uniform” being limited to an apron. It would be an understatement to say that the environment was not hygienic. The surgeon did not sterilize his tools, and his hands were uncovered during the procedure. Speaking of hands, the surgeon also did not wash his hands, prior to performing the operation.

While these conditions may seem primitive, remember that nobody had yet discovered the link between bacteria and disease. People were dying left and right, yet nobody seemed to have a logical explanation. Various scientists had only theories about the link between the microscopic organisms and sickness. However, Louis Pasteur later proved that a connection existed between certain microbes, and the high mortality rates.

A British surgeon named Joseph Lister (for whom Listerine® mouthwash was named) created practical applications of Pasteur’s “germ theory,” to surgery. After a German scientist verified that Lister’s revolutionary processes were indeed effective, surgeons throughout industrialized countries, began to use the latter’s surgical practices.

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Within time, Lister’s antiseptic system began to change significantly the way that physicians performed surgeries. In 1918, during the Spanish-flu pandemic, surgeons began to use masks manufactured from cotton gauze. Also, physicians began to wear the first rubber surgical gloves.

However, surgical clothing did not appear until the 20th century. By the 1940s, surgeons sterilized surgical tools, and were wearing surgical gowns and drapes. The first surgical clothing was white. However, this situation changed, as white reflects heat and light rays; the operating room’s lights made white too bright.

As the 20th century progressed, surgical attire did as well. Green surgical clothing had morphed from white to gray, by the 1950s. This color was easier on the eyes of surgical personnel. Then by the 1970s, surgical clothing began to resemble closely the “scrubs” that surgeons wear today. The attire of surgeons would typically include:

• calf-length short-sleeve dress
• closed-toe shoes
• cloth surgical gowns
• cotton v-necked short-sleeve shirts
• drawstring pants
• latex gloves
• masks

Within time, the term “Surgical Greens” used to label the attire would evolve into “Scrubs”-referring to the “scrubbing in” surgical atmosphere.

Surgical gear has evolved greatly from a mere apron. Today, scrubs of unending sizes, styles, and colors, are available. However, their goal has remained the same: contributing to a comfortable, hygienic environment. Remember that when you wear scrubs, you are wearing a bit of surgical clothing history!

Brent McNutt

http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/the-amazing-evolution-of-surgical-attire-from-aprons-to-cheap-landau-scrubs-710120.html

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A few enterprising uniform manufacturers are successfully challenging this paradigm. Thinking outside the box, they’ve carefully blended the finest attributes women look for in tailored everyday clothes, with the newest and most relevant performance fabrics available to create the next generation of clinician style scrubs and lab coats. Perhaps the most innovative of these companies has abandoned so called “unisex” (S, M, L, etc.) sizing altogether, and replaced it with traditional (more specific) numeric sizing (6, 8, 10, etc.). That company has also introduced designs tailored specifically to not only fit but flatter the female figure. Unlike unisex sized garments, their lines of scrubs and lab coats specifically designed for women will not fit a man’s body – the truest and most practical test to see if a garment is really designed to fit a woman (one can’t help but be amused over the reality that this common sense design approach is considered revolutionary within the uniform apparel industry). The results are scrubs and lab coats that preserve the traditional look of these garments, while elevating the attractiveness, comfort, function, and durability to levels never before available. In so doing, they’ve enabled female clinicians to present themselves visually with the same level of professionalism that they provide to their patients clinically.

Those clinicians that have already discovered these new options and purchased such next generation scrubs and lab coats have expressed their appreciation with enthusiasm and gratitude in unsolicited testimonials. The website of one of these new boutique uniform design shops includes several unsolicited endorsements that illustrate just how real – and dramatic – the response to these new scrubs and lab coats has been.

The irony is that with all the wonderful properties these uniforms possess – exquisite fabrics that feel so comfortable against the skin, special pockets specifically designed for clinicians, stain and odor repellency – they cost less than comparably finished street clothes. In fact, for less than what most women spend on a pair of jeans, they can now purchase a set of scrubs or lab coat. Helping to not only make them feel great about their appearance, it will also reinforce the high standards they maintain in their medical practice.

For those female Physicians, Dentists, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners who would like to learn more about these next generation female scrubs and lab coats I recommend medelita.

Kimberly Green

http://www.articlesbase.com/clothing-articles/the-commoditization-of-scrubs-and-lab-coats-714500.html

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Have you seen the TV show “Scrubs”? It has won both an Emmy Award and Peabody Award. The show has been airing on network TV, since the fall of 2001. It continues a history of quality TV shows based on employment in the medical field. Interestingly, the comedy-drama is not named after a particular physician in the show, as other shows about the medical field, are. Instead, the title “Scrubs” refers to the common attire of medical personnel. Still, “Scrubs” is not the only TV show in which you can spot people wearing scrubs, such as cheap landau scrubs:

1. MASH (1972-1983)

The TV series MASH includes scrub-clad surgeons in the Korean War. MASH is a comedy-drama about surgeons who are stationed in South Korea. The show was extremely popular during its original run, with its final episode earning more than 105 million viewers-a TV history record! “MASH” the TV show was based on “MASH” the movie, which was based on a novel. The show focused on vital personnel of the (US) Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.

2. Trapper John, M.D. (1979-1986)

This show is actually a spinoff of the character “Trapper John” McIntyre, who appeared in the motion picture and TV series “MASH.” “MASH” is based on surgeons who served in the U.S. military, during the Korean War. “Trapper John, M.D.” chronicles the life of McIntyre, 28 years after leaving his MASH unit. In the show, Trapper serves as San Francisco Memorial Hospital’s chief of surgery. The show also features George Alonzo “Gonzo” Gates. Gates also served in a MASH unit, but in the Vietnam War.

3. Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993)

This is yet another TV show that included medical personnel wearing scrubs. The show focuses on Doogie Howser, a gifted teenager who graduated from college at 10-years-old. What makes the show particularly interesting is that Doogie must juggle the challenges of being both a physician and a teenager. Features of the show include Vinnie Delpino, Doogie’s naughty best friend; and Doogie creating an entry in his computerized diary–at the end of each show.

4. Scrubs (2001-Present)

“Scrubs” is a comedy-drama show that is currently running on network TV. The name of the show is based on the uniforms that medical personnel often wear. Scrubs are lightweight, comfortable attire that are typically light green, light blue, or even pink. “Scrubs” concentrates on the workers at a teaching hospital named “Sacred Heart.” The show includes an array of quick dialogue, slapstick comedy, and surreal short bits. The eighth season of “Scrubs” will begin in early 2009.

5. Grey’s Anatomy (2005-Present)

“Grey’s Anatomy” is a medical drama on primetime television. Its name pays tribute to the medical textbook of the same name. The show centers on Dr. Meredith Grey, who works at Seattle Grace Hospital. “Grey’s Anatomy” features scrub-clad doctors and surgical interns.

Throughout its history, television has aired several quality shows, including various ones about medical personnel. Oftentimes their characters wear comfortable and hygienic scrubs-representing the best of the best in medical attire.

Brent McNutt
http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/5-outstanding-tv-shows-that-could-include-cheap-landau-scrubs-710126.html

I always find the uniform stores to be EXPENSIVE! I get all my scrubs at Tafford – they quality is amazing and prices are cheaper than in stores. Plus, if you’re on their email list, they always have great deals like free shipping.

Check them out, you won’t be disappointed. Just check their size chart, b/c their sizes are large compared to other brands.

Good luck!

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This is what one doctor wrote.
Cleanliness. I do certain procedures in the office that can splash antiseptic (or even a little blood), and my coat helps keep my clothes clean. In the hospital, a white coat is required to cover your scrubs when you’re outside the sterile unit. To keep germs from moving from one division to another, scrubs are not supposed to leave the operating rooms or labor and delivery unit without being covered. And the hospital laundry does a great job bleaching and pressing the coats so they stay professional-looking.
Identity. I have to say that I am proud to be a doctor, and that I like being identified as a physician in the hospital. Especially as a woman, I get called “nurse” enough as it is (nothing against nurses, of course!), and anything that helps patients understand my role is helpful to me, and, I think, to them. When I’m cross-covering for one of my fellow physicians, for example, patients need to feel comfortable that I’m a physician. Would you be comfortable if someone you’d never met, wearing street clothes, came into your hospital room, introduced herself as a doctor, then started asking questions about your personal symptoms and performing a physical examination?
Boundaries. With my office patients, my nature is to be very warm and informal, and I think the white coat helps keep it clear that even though this may be a friendly and intimate interaction, it is part of a doctor-patient relationship and not a regular friendship.
Pockets. This is actually the number one reason I wear my white coat. I have to hold on to my prescription pad, pens, post-its, and my Palm with my schedule, phone numbers, and Epocrates (a program with drug dosing information, a multicheck to look for medication interactions, and the formularies of several insurance companies so I can check what will be covered for each patient). Plus we are required to wear our hospital ID tags, and I hang mine on my coat rather than try to attach it to my sweater.

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