something you probably didn’t know
today i learned why scrubs (the things doctors wear in hospitals) are green instead of white.
my aunt was showing people this jesus-based optical illusion, which is an afterimage trick, and we were talking about the phenomenon in general.
my aunt renee said that an interesting application of this understanding is in the coloration of scrubs – when they were white, doctors used to see funny green splatters on them when they looked up in the middle of operations (because they had been staring intently at red things… i don’t think a more explicit explanation is necessary), and that was rather disconcerting. so they decided to make scrubs the same color as the afterimages so that they couldn’t see them as easily, which means that the lovely sea green was chosen because it is close to the exact optical opposite of the color of human blood.
if that’s true (googling “scrubs green afterimage blood” returned this confirmation (in the third comment, by ‘base’), and no direct dismissals, so you kids try harder if you like), i think that’s pretty damn cool.
and gross, sure…
but hey, i didn’t tell you to read my blog while you were drinking punch!
;)
December 18th, 2005 at 12:03 am
Neat, but I think the real reason is probably less urban-legendy. I think it probably has more to do with just general eye-fatigue and quick identification of different personnel. Not all scrubs are green, etc.
December 18th, 2005 at 8:46 am
it is true that not all scrubs are green, but when i think about it, i do believe that all OR scrubs fit the story. the scrubs that are covered with chihuahuas and stuff are mostly worn by nurses.
so i stand by my challenge to actually find more evidence either way. resolving these kinds of questions is what the internet is for!
;)
December 18th, 2005 at 1:08 pm
Well, in elementary school, I recall that the black chalk boards were switched out with green boards. Early computer text was green. I feel that this is evidence of more than the fact that I’m very old.
“Some hospitals use scrub color as a way of quickly identifying a staff member’s department, e.g. light blue for Surgery, pink or lavender for Labor and Delivery, dark green or dark blue for Emergency, and so forth.”
Damnit, Wikipedia, you’ve failed me for once:
“Scrubs worn in surgery, in contrast, are almost always colored solid light green, light blue or a light green-blue shade known as “seal” or “ciel” blue.”
But why?
I guess you’re right. Since red does always come away as green or off-green. Again, neat. And kinda gross.