Why are hospital drapes green?

The surge in incidence of dengue has seen me busy esorting friends, relatives and the occasional stranger in and out of hospitals trying to get them admitted, arguing over their right to platelets and patiently listening to the woes of my compatriot attendants in the waiting rooms, lobbies and at the reception. Amidst this conundrum, posters for HIV awareness and an intense loathing for the female Aedes, my eyes found an escape; solace in the ubiquitous green.

The healers of the world dyed their drapes and their caps and their gowns and scrap of fabric in their realms green. Why not magenta or yellow ochre? I'll share with you what I inferred after hours of serious googling.

The colour green has had an important place in Indian medicine symbolizing the pituitary; puppetmaster to all other glands. It was known to have properties which could alleviate pain, cure burns and clear the airway. However its use to decorate the interiors of hospitals was uncommon.

Physicians worldwide practiced in Mufti's till the first world war. Hospital linen was white confirming to an image of purity and nearly spotless cleanliness. The white caused a glare in the doctors eyes, perhaps similar to the on detergent advertisements these days claim to produce. An English nurse during WW II describes the surgeons creamy white gowns. Green was used to reduce the glare and provide contrast to the stark white.

Some argue that green was the colour of the day with camouflaged soldiers and green tanks rolling throught the countryside and soon found its way in the wards. Others beg to differ. Green was first used in mental asylums in the UK to sooth the disturbed minds of their inmates. Other institutes followed suit.

Many find the solution to our problem in Newton's colour disc. Green is just opposite to red on the disc. Constantly looking at the bodies interior sensitized the surgeons vision. This was overcome by contrasting the red with green, the opposite colour on the disc. The surgeon was this able to discern the intricate details of the body's anatomy. Red blood absorbed by the drapes look black giving the theatre a less macabre look.

The last decade has seen radical changes in hospital fashions. Different coloured uniforms for different hospital staff. Green for surgeons and blue for physicians for instance. Scrubs with cartoon characters on them for paediatricians and multicoloured scrubs for nurses. This change is apparent in television dramas like scrubs and green wing. A few private institutes have dared to go a yardstick further and choose colours for their aesthetic appeal. Some even choose pink scrubs to prevent theft!

It's hard to come with an answer. Perhaps all these factors together created the trend. Yet it's still a topic for lively discussion over caffeinated beverages or heaven forbid, outside a pathology lab.