Wearing surgical gowns and other medical apparel (i.e. surgical masks, gloves, etc) is vital because there will always be microorganisms on or in the human skin, even after conducting strict hygienic and sterilization procedures.

    The purpose of surgical gowns and other protective clothing is not only to keep bacteria from entering surgical wounds, but to also protect the surgical staff from blood, urine, saline, or other chemicals and bodily fluids during surgical procedures.

    In fact, surgeons typically conducted operations with bare hands and non-sterile surgical instruments and supplies.urgical gowns with impermeable areas and edges will block the transfer of bacteria, viruses, infections, blood borne pathogens, and other harmful agents and chemicals to and from the patient.  Surgical gowns are widely considered to be the foremost item of protective equipment today.  Nonetheless, surgical gowns and surgical apparel have not been in standard use for very long. 

    Surgical gowns and other protective equipment didn't see wide use until much later.As surgical procedures progressed throughout the twentieth century, surgical apparel saw greater usage and improvement.  But it wasn't until the 1980s when the biggest increase in use of surgical apparel began.  The AIDS epidemic has a lot to do with this.  Today, it is virtually unheard of that a surgical procedure is performed without full protective clothing to prevent infection of both the patient and surgical team.  Fortunately, maintaining and increasing that level of safety has become a main concern for a number of companies serving the surgical apparel market.  As a result, advancement in protective surgical apparel continues to be made.