Who gave the idea of having white as uniforms of medical professionals?

Question

Most medical practicioners are wearing white. Why?

Answer 1

This is what one doctor wrote.
Cleanliness. I do certain procedures in the office that can splash antiseptic (or even a little blood), and my coat helps keep my clothes clean. In the hospital, a white coat is required to cover your scrubs when you're outside the sterile unit. To keep germs from moving from one division to another, scrubs are not supposed to leave the operating rooms or labor and delivery unit without being covered. And the hospital laundry does a great job bleaching and pressing the coats so they stay professional-looking.
Identity. I have to say that I am proud to be a doctor, and that I like being identified as a physician in the hospital. Especially as a woman, I get called "nurse" enough as it is (nothing against nurses, of course!), and anything that helps patients understand my role is helpful to me, and, I think, to them. When I'm cross-covering for one of my fellow physicians, for example, patients need to feel comfortable that I'm a physician. Would you be comfortable if someone you'd never met, wearing street clothes, came into your hospital room, introduced herself as a doctor, then started asking questions about your personal symptoms and performing a physical examination?
Boundaries. With my office patients, my nature is to be very warm and informal, and I think the white coat helps keep it clear that even though this may be a friendly and intimate interaction, it is part of a doctor-patient relationship and not a regular friendship.
Pockets. This is actually the number one reason I wear my white coat. I have to hold on to my prescription pad, pens, post-its, and my Palm with my schedule, phone numbers, and Epocrates (a program with drug dosing information, a multicheck to look for medication interactions, and the formularies of several insurance companies so I can check what will be covered for each patient). Plus we are required to wear our hospital ID tags, and I hang mine on my coat rather than try to attach it to my sweater.

Answer 2

White's a logical choice for a uniform....most any dirt shows up on it- that's all...