Do you ever question yourself about the white coat that you often spot the doctors and scientists wearing on job? It may seem a silly topic to ponder over, but its not really that silly. There is significant information about the white lab coat that you can gather.

To introduce, the white lab coat is a global symbol of the medical profession and the science labs. Whenever a child has to participate in a fancy dress competition as a doctor, putting on a white lab coat is almost as mandatory as a stethoscope for the get up. Such is the association of a white lab coat with the doctor’s identity and visualization. But how and when did the white lab coat become a part of a doctor’s life, boasts of an interesting story to tell.

When science lost its creditability in the middle of the 19th century due to lack of desired results upon treatments, people started resorting to quacks and healing cults. The doctors were considered untrustworthy, while scientists were looked up highly. So, in order to restore the lost reputation, doctors took to the dressing sense of the scientists. They also started wearing lab coats, hoping that it would give medical profession a new life on the lines of science. It was anticipated that the lab coat would provide breakthrough advances in curing diseases, just like it was helping science in coming up with inventions that had revolutionized communication and transportation. However, when the medical professionals adopted lab coats in the late 19th century, they took up white color lab coats instead of the prevailing beige color back then.

The change of color of lab coats from beige to white was not incidental. It was a well-thought out decision. Before hand practitioners of medicine and clerical caretakers used to wear black robes that represented mourning, death and the approaching inevitable for the admitted patients as if. In short, the dressing sense of the doctors and caretaker staff conveyed pessimism and bad news only. So it was considered fit to change the color of the lab coat to white so as to improve the common perception and feel of the hospital. Fortunately, significant advancements visited the medical profession in the 20th century, which brought a sense of optimism back to the science of medicine.

The white color for lab coats represented new standards of performance and purity – a visual reminder to the doctors for their commitment to their profession – a symbol of goodness and sincerity. As white color implied cleanliness, hygiene and eradication of infections, it was thought to be the ideal choice for representing the medical practitioners.

Besides a thoughtful message and symbolic significance, the white lab coat of the doctors has a practical aspect too. A doctor secures the image and grace of a doctor as soon as he wears a white lab coat in the eyes of a layman. The white lab coat distinguishes the doctor from a layman and reminds him of his commitment to dispense his professional duties with utmost sincerity.