Doctors’ sartorial shift from black to white took place pretty quickly, as evidenced by two paintings by American artist Thomas Eakins. In his 1875 work The Gross Clinic, Dr. Samuel Gross and his fellow physicians, all clad in black suits, perform surgery on a man’s leg. Less than 15 years later, Eakins painted The Agnew Clinic, which depicts a different group of doctors—this time, in white shirts and smocks—operating on another patient.
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART
Though white coats help doctors stand out in crowded hospitals, they’ve also been known to negatively affect patients. “White coat syndrome” or “white coat hypertension” describes the rise in blood pressure that some people experience when they step foot inside a doctor’s office or other clinical atmosphere. Some doctors, especially pediatricians, skip the coat at times to help put their patients at ease.
