Doctors usually wear white coats when they are in outpatient clinics. You’ve probably seen doctors going into surgeries wearing gowns of different colors, even though they actually match white coats. Have you ever wondered why doctors entering the operating room with green or blue gowns in general use these colors?
Today we will explain to you why doctors wear green or blue gowns in operating rooms. In fact, the issue is not the effort to be different from the doctors wearing white coats, it has a much more logical reason. Let’s explain why doctors who go into surgery wear green or blue gowns.
Why do operating doctors wear green or blue gowns?
Although wearing a green or blue apron may seem insignificant, it actually serves an extremely important issue. In fact, the fact that the gowns have this color can even affect the success or failure of surgical operations.
These green aprons first appeared in the early 20th century. During this period, surgeons began to realize that white coats that looked so innocent were not so innocent. The problem with the white coats was; When doctors shifted their eyes from the dark red color of blood to the white coats of their colleagues, he could experience temporary blindness. You can think of it as burning in your eyes when you go out after falling snow.
This problem persisted when doctors began to experience headaches from staring at white coats for too long during surgery. In 1914, a doctor switched to a green coat, to which the eyes would adjust more easily during surgery. After this transition, surgeons all over the world started to switch to green or blue gowns over time.
Complementary colors save lives during surgery.
Especially when we look at major surgeries, we see that it takes hours. In other words, when you go into an operation, you should focus on one thing for maybe 10 hours. In surgeries where the slightest mistake can cause human life, the doctor’s eye must always see with the same clarity. Doctors who look at the red tones in the operation area, which is constantly covered with blood during long-lasting operations, therefore prefer green tones, which can be considered the opposite of red.
Why is green color preferred over purple?
So why do doctors prefer green and blue as primary colors rather than purple or yellow? There is a logical explanation for this too. When we look at the light spectrum, it is seen that the opposite of red is green. The green color allows doctors to see the red color much better. If the aprons were red, the red tones in the focal point might not be seen clearly.
When we look at the summary of the subject, we see that the reason why doctors wear green or blue gowns in operating rooms is related to the light spectrum. The opposite of red, the color of blood and our internal organs, green allows doctors to see better during surgery.
Perhaps one of the most important occupational groups in the world, medicine comes first. Our life is entrusted to doctors and we know that they are trying to do their best. While the whole world was talking about how exhausting the pandemic was, healthcare professionals worked day and night, disregarding their lives. We would like to thank all health workers once again for these sacrifices.
Today we explained to you why doctors wear green or blue gowns in operating rooms. If you want more content like this, you can reach us in the comments section.
source: 1, 2, 3
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