Playing an essential role in modern healthcare, rubber gloves promote safety and hygiene, while protecting patients and staff from the transmission of infectious diseases.
Invented in the late 19th century, they were originally used to protect surgical staff from the harsh effects of chemicals used in the operating theatre, which could cause skin irritation.
Over the years, they have become a vital tool in the field of medicine, improving overall care standards.
Medical landscape pre-rubber gloves
Before the invention of rubber gloves, hospital surgeons and staff worked with their bare hands, as hygiene standards weren’t as stringent, and the health issues of bacteria weren’t fully understood.
Today’s surgeons, anaesthetists, laboratory technicians and nurses usually wear purpose-made trousers and tops (“scrubs”) masks, gloves and a cap, but this hasn’t always been the case.
During the first half of the 19th century, surgery was a frightening prospect, as it was often fatal. Before antibiotics, antiseptics and anaesthesia, the patient usually suffered horrific pain and a risk of infection, as surgeons operated with their bare hands.
They wore a frock coat that was usually stained with blood from previous operations and kept their sewing needles pinned into the lapel. Operations were carried out with instruments that were non-sterile. This was disastrous in terms of passing on bacteria and infections, causing a patient death rate after surgery of around 80% in some UK hospitals.
Gloves were first worn in the operating theatre in the late 19th century, but to protect the surgeon and other staff, rather than patients. At first, surgeons wore gloves made from cloth and other natural materials to provide a barrier against fluids or infected cuts.
According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, no surgeons were wearing gloves between 1860 and 1870. By the 1880s, 5% wore cloth gloves, with the remaining 95% still operating with bare hands.
Unfortunately, cloth gloves increased the risk of contamination, as they would become wet and needed washing frequently, causing the material to deteriorate. Some surgeons began working with glove suppliers to refine the design, but nothing was 100% effective.
Who invented rubber gloves?
Rubber surgical gloves were invented in 1889 by Dr William Stewart Halsted, a forward-thinking American surgeon born in New York City in 1852. He championed the use of new anaesthetics for patients during operations and insisted strict aseptic techniques were used to prevent the spread of micro-organisms.
Halsted introduced rubber gloves into the operating theatre in 1889, although not to stop the spread of bacteria initially: the main reason was because his scrub nurse, Caroline Hampton, suffered from the painful skin conditions eczema and contact dermatitis.
After training at Mount Sinai Hospital and New York Hospital, Hampton graduated in 1888, aged 27. She successfully applied for the post of chief surgical nurse at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, where Halsted, 37, was surgeon.
Delighted with her work, Halsted described her as an “unusually efficient” assistant in the operating room, but noticed the painful condition of her skin, which was worsened by the continual use of chemicals and antiseptics.
After trying unsuccessful solutions, Halsted decided to try a more radical idea. He took a plaster cast of Hampton’s hands and sent it to the Goodyear Rubber Company, asking if they could make some bespoke rubber gloves to protect her skin.
The resulting gloves covered her hands and forearms. Flexible, thin and reusable, they were ideal for use in the operating theatre. Other surgical staff saw how useful the innovative gloves were and asked for their own, so Halsted obliged.
The gloves’ textured surface made it easier for staff to grip the often slippery surgical instruments. The practice of wearing surgical gloves started to spread to other hospitals, locally and on a wider scale.
Halsted and Hampton were married on 4th June 1890 and although she had to retire from her job, as per the custom of the era, her husband continued working as a surgeon, later being hailed as the “greatest physician of the whole Johns Hopkins group”.
How did rubber gloves affect surgical practices?
Another Johns Hopkins resident surgeon, Joseph Colt Bloodgood recognised how valuable the rubber gloves were in protecting patients from bacteria and infections. His research into post-surgical infection rates revealed they had been reduced from 17% to 2% by 1899 simply by wearing surgical gloves.
The use of gloves started to spread across the world, with 28% of surgeons wearing them by 1900, up from 5% a decade earlier. By 1920, this figure had risen to 48%.
The first 100% latex gloves, made from a more refined type of rubber, were introduced during the 1920s.
75% of surgeons wore gloves during World War II. The first automated glove machine to keep up with the growing demand was launched in 1946: mass production made gloves more affordable for hospital use.
By 1950, 100% of surgeons were wearing gloves, which had a massive impact on the spread of infection by putting a hygienic barrier between patients and healthcare professionals.
Modern rubber gloves
There are several different types of gloves used in medical settings today, with latex still being a popular choice due to the comfort, sensitivity and flexibility it provides, including in dental environments.
In the 1990s, nitrile gloves were developed from a synthetic rubber as an alternative to latex, which was causing allergies for some staff when worn for long periods. An ideal alternative, nitrile offers similar benefits to latex gloves, but without the risks of allergic reactions. Also resistant to chemicals, nitrile gloves are ideal for laboratories, where exposure to chemicals may be a concern.
Vinyl gloves are made from PVC. This synthetic rubber is an economic alternative in areas where chemicals and durability aren’t the prime considerations. They are used in hospital and healthcare settings for applications such as cleaning and food service, rather than medical.
Rubber gloves have come a long way over the years: in this day and age, it’s hard to imagine how we ever managed without them.
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