Doctor Uniforms: Professional Garb for Healers
In the past doctors used to wear aprons and gowns when examining patients or performing surgery. In the 20th century doctor uniforms became simpler and more streamlined. The “scrub” became the usual garment that doctors wear. They consist of a shirt, pants, and hats. The idea is make the doctor comfortable, able to move about easily and, of course, to protect them from germs and the variety of toxic substances they might come into contact with. Scrubs tend to be loose-fitting so as to allow a physician or surgeon to move with economy. Today, they are also designed with an eye for fashion. The old drab, even grim look of doctor uniforms has given way to a light, bright, and stylish look, pleasing to both its wearer and the patients they serve.
Most doctor uniforms are manufactured using cotton. Cotton has several key positives and a few negatives, which can managed provided the wearer of doctor wear has a little knowledge and takes a little time to care for the garment. A big reason why scrubs are made with cotton is that the material absorbs perspiration and other fluids very well. Cotton made garments also protect doctors from the dangerous fluids and other substances present in a surgical and hospital environment. While I the past cotton scrubs were only made in a limited number of colors, today’s doctor uniforms can be found in a wide range of colors and designs. Indeed, medical garb in recent years is a far cry from its traditionally drab appearance. A negative of cotton doctor garments is that they tend to wrinkle very easily. It is necessary to iron them after they are laundered. One way manufacturers have alleviated the problem is by mixing in polyester into scrubs. In fact, the advent cotton and polyester scrubs has pretty much eliminated the wrinkle tendency inherent in purely cotton garments.
If scrubs are the most important component of doctor uniforms, there are a number of other items that are found in a physician’s wardrobe. Lab coats and consultation pants, worn when doctors meet with patients and their families, are two other common pieces of garments for doctors. These garments, just like scrubs, are manufactured in a wide range of sizes. They can also be custom ordered. Customized orders of all these items are placed both to accommodate special size needs and to meet the aesthetic and style tastes of physicians.
Given the desire of physicians to be more fashionable and brightly attired, manufacturers of doctor’s wear have introduced scrubs with v-neck tops. Pants are manufactured with buttons but also with drawstrings. There are doctor uniforms as well as ones tailored to the female figure. The brighter, colorful, and varied patterns of today’s uniforms are also pleasing to the eye of patients. Sitting in a doctor’s office, not to mention lying on a table about to be wheeled into the operating room, is a disconcerting experience. The less clinical look of today’s physicians, their bright attire has a subtle uplifting effect on patients |
