Dr. AHM Mostafa Kamal
Associate Professor of Anatomy,
MOHFW, Bangladesh.
A white coat often popularly known as ‘Apron’ is usually a knee length coat either full sleeve or half sleeve worn by health care professionals, such as, doctors, nursing professionals, laboratory personnel, scientists, physiotherapists, optometrists, pharmacists, veterinary professionals and technicians. Before the middle of the 19th century only scientists who worked in laboratories used to wear laboratory coats which were beige (pale pinkish-yellow) colored 1.
It has been observed mostly that profession is identified with uniform, such as police khaki uniform, black coat of the lawyer, white coat of the doctor etc2. Until the mid-1920s, students who were examining cadavers would wear black lab coats to show respect for the dead. Afterwards the white coat has served as the pre-eminent representation of physicians for over 100 years3. Wearing a white coat is an accepted part of medical and dental practice. The actual use of white coats and how often they are changed varies greatly among individuals and their specialties4. The white coat has been a symbol of the medical profession since it was borrowed from laboratory workers to lend credibility to the doctors who wore them. The white color was specifically chosen to associate physicians with purity and cleanliness 5.
Access to Subscribers Only
Login / Register To Unlock The Content!