Scrubs Catalogs

It was not so very long ago when the importance of hygiene had not yet been fully discerned and surgery was performed in a theater-like arena which was, in fact, referred to as an “operating theater” that admitted audiences with little to no restrictions.  The surgical staff wore their everyday street clothes which may have been protected from blood stains by butchers’ aprons but that was entirely optional.  Furthermore, the surgical procedures from start to finish were carried out with bare hands, the instruments that were used were never sterilized, the gut or silk strands for suturing were threaded through the same needles used by seamstresses and the packing gauze was made from that which was swept off the floors of cotton mills.

To protect themselves from contracting the patients’ diseases during the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, some surgeons began wearing surgical masks and rubber gloves.  With more advancement in surgical procedures and antisepsis to protect patients from the life threatening intra-operative infections, antiseptic drapes and gowns were adopted for use in operating rooms (OR) by the 1940s and, at the same time, all instruments, surgical supplies and post-operative dressings were regularly sterilized by ethylene oxide (EtO) gas or the heat of high-pressure steam.

To underline or accentuate cleanliness, the garbs of operating room staff were snow white.  However, combining those with the bright lighting of operating rooms resulted in a glare that caused eyestrain and fatigue.  Consequently, by the 1950s most surgical teams began wearing green gowns and by the 1970s the surgical attire evolved to:  green cotton or cotton/polyester blend fashioned to a unisex short-sleeved V-necked shirt and drawstring pants or a short-sleeved mid-calf length dress; a green cloth tie-back or bouffant-style cap; a green mask made of gauze or a synthetic fabric; a green outer gown; latex gloves and supportive shoes covered by a green cloth sack-like tied at the ankles.  The sum total of all these were known as “surgical greens” but soon acquired the name “scrubs” because they were intended for a setting that required “scrubbing.”  Today, “scrubs” for surgical teams still tend to remain solid light green although some operating rooms have also taken on board “scrubs” of light blue or green-blue shades.

The modern day medical field is favoring “scrubs” outside of the operating room in many different colors and patterns that are to be worn by most personnel who deal with patients in any capacity in setting such as hospitals and in outpatient clinics as well as in medical and dental offices, retirement homes and rehabilitation facilities throughout the United States and Canada.  “Scrubs” are also mandatory for inmates of many American prisons and detention centers.

The Internet is well endowed with many great online scrubs catalogs such as those I have listed below:

• Jasco by AllHeat is a discount retailer who has been in the “scrub” business for over twenty years.  The Jasco by AllHeart catalog displays the largest selection of scrubs of all colors, all sizes, all patterns as well as many other medical and clinical supplies and equipment.
• Sassy Scrubs has distinguished itself by being the first to offer multi-color “scrubs” with an assortment of prints, all their “scrubs” are custom made and they are all made in the USA.
• Scrub Med was founded in 1989 to full fill the need to incorporate fashion into “scrubs.”
• Scrubs and Beyond offer a wide selection of traditional “scrubs” alongside the more updated looks.
• Scrubs and Uniforms is an online listing of free scrubs catalogs.