Scrub cap used by Dr. Stuart Greene
date: label: date made
content: ca 2020
label: used date; vaccination date of Afghan refugees
content: 2020-09-07
notes: label: Description
content: Surgical caps such as these became increasing prevalent in hospitals by the 1940s. Originally, most surgical caps, as well as other clothing worn in the operating room, tended to be white (white was tied to cleanliness and sterility). However, white clothing was believed to cause eye strain in the bright lights of the operating room and by the 1970s, light green scrubs had replaced white surgical garb, becoming standard for surgical wear. Over the last forty years, surgical garments have become more varied, often incorporating cartoon characters. Beginning in the 2000s, some groups, most notably the Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) called for bans on surgical caps in the operating room to reduce surgical site infections. However, surgical caps continued to be widely worn during the early 2000s and well into the COVID-19 pandemic.
label: Description
content: In the immediate wake of the World Health Organization's announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, uncertainty about how the virus spread was common. To protect themselves, many medical practitioners began wearing full personal protective equipment when dealing with patients who had been exposed to COVID-19. This equipment often included: an N-95 mask covered with a surgical facemask on top, safety glasses, a face shield, a protective gown, gloves, and a traditional scrub cap.
label: Description
content: Between 2020 and 2021, Dr. Stuart Greene was an emergency physician at Jefferson Abington Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania . During the COVID-19 pandemic, little was known about the virus and how it was transmitted. Greene worried about being exposed to the virus and bringing it home to his family. To protect himself, Greene used an N-95 mask covered with a surgical facemask on top, safety glasses, a face shield, a protective gown, gloves, and this scrub cap. Wearing this equipment was standard while caring for patients with COVID-19 who were coughing, having difficulty breathing, and/or in respiratory distress.
label: Description
content: Greene chose to wear a surgical cap with cartoon characters. He hoped the cap with its cheerful design would, he said, "make my patients feel more comfortable and at ease despite not being able to see my face.”
label: Description
content: In addition to wearing the cap in the emergency department at Jefferson Abington, Greene wore this cap on September 7, 2021 while volunteering at the Philadelphia International Airport. There, he provided COVID-19 vaccinations to Afghan refugees who, just hours before, had arrived in the United States.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: China
label: associated place; used
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Abington
topic: label: general subject association; web subject
content: Immigrants
label: used as protection against COVID-19; web subject
content: COVID-19 (Disease)
label: general subject association; used; web subject
content: Medical Procedure- Surgery
label: associated subject
content: Infectious diseases
label: associated subject
content: Public Health
label: associated subject
content: 2019-nCoV disease
label: associated subject
content: Disease prevention
label: associated subject
content: 2019 novel coronavirus disease
label: related event
content: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dr. Stuart Greene
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0166.01
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0166.01
label: accession number
content: 2021.0166
objectType: label: Object Name
content: scrub cap
label: Object Type
content: Scrub
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material; elastic)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/2 in x 8 in; 11.43 cm x 20.32 cm