Medicinal staff and their attire: evolution, semiotics and epistemology of safety Introduction: Uniform as a boundary between life and death The attire of medical staff represents a unique phenomenon, extending far beyond simple professional clothing. It is a complex semiotic and epistemological object that visualizes the boundary between health and illness, sterility and contamination, knowledge and empathy. Its evolution is a direct reflection of the development of medical knowledge, particularly the theory of microbes, and social transformations within the profession itself. 1. Historical evolution: from executioner's cloak to white coat Historically, the attire of a doctor was not specific. Up until the mid-19th century, doctors, often belonging to the higher classes, wore dark, usually black suits or frocks, emphasizing their status, seriousness, and proximity to death (the color black symbolized "majesty and formality"). Surgical operations were performed in ordinary street clothes, often in dirty aprons, which was a symbol of "experience". The turning point was the affirmation of the germ theory by Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister in the second half of the 19th century. The realization of the role of microorganisms in the development of infections led to a revolution in medical attire. The white color, proposed as a standard, served several functions: Semiotic: White became the color of cleanliness, sterility, and science, contrasting with the dark, "pre-scientific" past. Practical: On white, contaminants are more visible, which stimulates frequent changes and washing. Psychological: The white coat began to form the image of a doctor-scientist, objective and rational. Interesting fact: the first to mass-produce white coats were nurses — followers of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War (1853-1856). For them, this was a symbol of hygiene, discipline, and kindness. Doctors adopted this practice later, by the beginning of the 20th century. 2. Semiotics of ... Read more