The History of Medical Nursing Uniforms

The History of Medical Scrubs

As medical professionals, we wear scrubs every day, but we rarely think about the history of the medical nursing uniforms we're wearing. You might be surprised to learn that scrubs have a long history, going as far back as 1918 with the Spanish Influenza. Read on to appreciate the history of the clothing you're wearing to work!

What do medical nursing uniforms have to do with the Spanish Flu?

Before the Spanish flu broke out in 1918, surgeons performed their procedures on a table in an amphitheater type room with medical students or other surgeons watching. They wore normal, non-sterile clothes and instruments, even using reusable needles! That all changed with a young man named Joseph Lister. Lister realized that carbolic acid could be used to sterilize medical instruments and doctors slowly became aware of the need to wear masks, sterile clothing, and rubber clothes.

Where does the word "scrubs" come from?

In the 1970s, surgeons began wearing a medical uniform consisting of a green medical cap, pants or long skirt, and a short sleeved top. This style became known as "surgical greens". The term "scrubs" came about as a result of the way physicians scrubbed their hands before going into surgery, and were in sterile, "scrubbed" conditions.

Why are there different color medical nursing uniforms?

Scrubs come in tons of different colors, and many people have no idea why surgical scrubs are typically green or light blue. The science of sterile medical nursing uniforms has steadily developed with the help of Joseph Lister. Traditionally, operating room scrubs were all in white, but surgeons complained of eyestrain as a result of the white scrubs and bright lights. Modern medical nursing uniforms consist of a t-shirt scrub top and scrub pants. Many large hospitals use different colors for their scrubs to distinguish between each department.

What are popular scrubs today?

Here at Scrubs-Max.com, we believe that Cherokee scrubs are fashionable, high quality scrubs at great prices. Please browse our Cherokee scrubs, including:

• Cherokee - Cherokee is a fun and functional line by Cherokee scrubs. It features pretty prints, comfortable pants, and warm up jackets.
• Cherokee Professional Fashion Whites - If you're looking for pristine white tops, tunics, skirts, pants, lab coats, and more, this line is for you!
• Cherokee Med Man - Male scrubs can be difficult to find, but we have the great fitting drawstring pants, tops, lab coats and more that you need.
• Cherokee Studio - If you want to show your style at work, Cherokee Studio features cuts and prints to flatter every figure.
• Cherokee Workwear - This line has durable scrubs at a fraction of the price!
• Scrubs HQ - Scrubs HQ has tons of scrub tops in funky and fun prints and styles.
• Cherokee Tooniforms - If you work in pediatrics or have a light-hearted side, Tooniforms are for you! They come in prints with all the latest cartoon favorites.

Please feel free to check out all the latest medical nursing uniform styles and prints. We're dedicated to providing exceptional customer service, so don't hesitate to contact us with any comments or questions or comments you may have.