A Brief History of Scrubs

» Scrubs are the hats, shirts and trousers worn by surgeons, nurses, and other operating room personnel when "scrubbing in" for surgery.

» Surgeons did not wear any type of specialized garments in the operating room until well into the 20th century. They most often wore street clothes, covered by a butcher's apron to protect clothing from blood stains. The consummate mark of a busy surgeon was the evidence of blood and fluids on his clothing.

» In 1918, the "Spanish flu" pandemic caused surgeons to begin wearing cotton gauze masks in surgery to protect themselves from their patient's diseases.

» By the 1940s, advances in surgical antisepsis (known as aseptic technique) led to the adoption of antiseptic drapes and gowns for operating room use. Originally, the attire was white to emphasize cleanliness, but the combination of the lights in the operating room along with an all-white hospital environment lead to eyestrain for the surgeons and their staffs. Patients' families also became alarmed when they would see a surgeon approaching with bright red blood splashes across their gowns.

» In the 1950s, hospitals adopted shades of green for their operating room apparel to provide a color contrast within the operating room and reduce eyestrain.

» By the 1970s, medical scrubs had evolved to their modern state: a short-sleeve V-neck shirt and drawstring pants (or in some cases a calf-length dress). A cloth scrub cap or bouffant-style cap, paper or gauze mask, a surgical gown and latex gloves completed the attire for the operating room. Originally called "surgical greens" because of the color of the cotton material used, the term "scrubs" was adopted due to the fact that the clothing was worn in a "scrubbed" environment.

» Another revolution occurred recently, in the 21st century, fortifying the fashion focus of the medical scrub industry. The Pony hat (U.S. Patent No. 7437777, D572879) was invented in Texas for fashion-conscious medical professionals. The hat holds up long hair and is made in several styles by the blue sky scrubs company.