Medical Glove (2019.06.018)

Medical Glove (2019.06.018)

Nebraska State Tuberculosis Hospital, Dr. Burton Bancroft, Medical Glove, Artifact

Dark yellow, plastic medical glove. Glove is very stiff and brittle. NOTE: Glove is extremely brittle. Use extreme care when handling.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: There is information about Dr. Burton Bancroft in the Frank Museum archives, as well as in the paper accession record. AW ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Before the invention of medical gloves, surgeries often had a 50 percent mortality rate due to infections. Surgeons did not wash their hands or use gloves, as the germ theory of disease was not prominent yet. By the 1880s and 1890s however, prominent doctors recognized the need for sterilization during surgeries, and so many began using carbolic acid and mercuric chloride as a disinfectant. William Halsted, a prominent doctor during this era working at Johns Hopkins, is credited with the invention of medical gloves. Halsted was a well-respected doctor credited with many new medical techniques, inventions, and the residency system for training doctors. Caroline Hampton, a southern woman from a prominent family, was assigned as William Halsted’s chief nurse, and soon a romance would develop between the two. Hampton, as the chief nurse, was responsible for handling the harsh chemicals for sterilization, and soon developed bad dermatitis. Concerned for his partner, Halsted reached out to Goodyear to develop a pair of rubber gloves for her to wear. Soon after the two were married, William gave the pair of rubber gloves to Caroline, which proved effective, and soon other surgeons and doctors began using rubber gloves as well. The more experienced doctors were less inclined to wear gloves, thinking it would dull their sense of touch during surgery, and most people wore gloves to protect their hands rather than for sterilization. Medical gloves would soon prove effective though, and sterile, single-use disposable rubber gloves were being widely used by the early 1900s. Later in 1964, the Ansell Rubber company developed the first disposable latex gloves, which soon replaced rubber gloves as the main medical glove. Talcum powder was also used in medical gloves to make them easier to put on and take off, but evidence pointed towards talcum powder creating scars and inflammation after surgery, and so powdered gloves were banned for medical use in 2016. By the 1980s, medical gloves became widespread among all medical disciplines, not just surgery. A recent (2022) development is the use of non-latex medical gloves, as it was found that the more people use latex gloves, the more likely they are to develop latex allergies. Now, most medical gloves are made of lyvinyl chloride and neoprene, and latex and rubber are rarely used in any medical device. Information gathered from: Past Medical History (https://www.pastmedicalhistory.co.uk/the-history-of-surgical-gloves/) John Hopkins Medicine (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/rubber_gloves_born___and_now_banished___at_johns_hopkins) The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1990/11/27/the-strange-story-of-surgical-gloves/a4b63531-1b0a-4799-ae13-24ec3f2c33d1/). Information compiled by Logan Osmera.

ca. 1950s

For all objects in accession # 2019.06: Doctor's bag, medical equipment, medicine, and other items all originally belonged to Dr. Burton Bancroft who came to Kearney is 1956 and was the first trained surgeon in the community, according to John Bancroft- Dr. Burton Bancroft's son who found the the doctor's bag in a closet. The bag contained all of the items within accession record #2019.06. Dr. Bancroft occasionally provided aid to patients at the Nebraska State Hospital for Tuberculosis in Kearney, NE.

Plastic Medical Glove