Those funny nurse's hats

[PatrickM]

Elsewhere on this board and in Cecil’s column the cosmic matter of the origin of the chef’s hat has been considered. What about the origin and purpose of the nurse’s headgear? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

My guess is that the original purpose of the caps was just to keep the hair out of the way. However, they served the additional purpose, in later years, of indicating what school nurses graduated from. I think this was applicable only to RN’s and not LVN’s. Instead of a regular graduation
ceremony, graduates of college level nursing programs underwent a “capping” ceremony, wherein they received the distinctive cap of their school.

I don’t think they do this any more. Any nurses out there who can correct or add to what I’ve said?

[Kimstu]

From a nursing school museum web site:

Nurses’ caps were once an integral part of their uniform. The earliest design, the muffin cap, was replaced around 1920 by a pointed design which could be made from a man’s linen handkerchief. Nurses made their own caps from this design until the Bruck Company began manufacturing them. These practical caps were designed to be folded flat and carried in a book. As Blanche McGurk, a former UIHC nurse and instructor, explained in a letter, “The [new] cap was adopted for economy, easy making, storing, laundering, and uniformity! The first cap was difficult to make, more difficult to launder, and worse than an Easter bonnet to store.”

The handkerchief cap originally required a one-inch band, made by folding back one side of the handkerchief. The design gradually evolved to the winged, highly-starched model with a wider band. At the beginning of their last year in nursing school, students were given a black stripe to attach to their caps. Caps have not been worn to any great extent since 1972 and are no longer a required part of the nursing uniform.

Muffin Cap
circa 1910

At the turn of the century, many women had very long hair which the nurse’s cap was intended to hold to maintain the hygienic environment necessary for patient care. Early caps covered the whole head and were considered unbecoming by nurses. Muffins caps were worn in the University Hospital until about 1920.

Handkerchief Cap
circa 1925

The handkerchief cap replaced the muffin cap and was much easier to clean, make, and transport. Smaller than previous caps, they covered only the knot of hair at the top of the head.

Graduate Nurse’s Cap
circa 1944

Senior student nurses added a quarter-inch black band to their caps and graduate nurses replaced that with a half-inch thick band. Graduate nurses wore the cap from their alma mater, regardless of where they worked. As donor Elizabeth Means, RN, remembers, “It gave us a sense of pride and identification and it was always interesting because you could tell what school a girl graduated from by the cap she wore.”

HTH.

[Ankh_Too]

From the University of Iowa Healthcare Website:

*Nurse Cap History
At the turn of the century, many women had very long hair which the nurse’s cap was intended to hold to maintain the hygienic environment necessary for patient care. Early caps covered the whole head and were considered unbecoming by nurses. Eventually, these “dust-caps” were replaced by small caps which covered only the knot of hair at the top of the head.

Cap design identified its wearer’s alma mater. A black band sewn on the cap signified senior level or graduate status at many schools, and sometimes identified the head nurse on a clinical unit. Its origin is unknown; some people believed the black band was a sign of mourning for Florence Nightingale. Nurse caps are not worn in most health care institutions today because they no longer serve the purposes for which they were designed and can interfere with caregiving.

[Ankh_Too]

I’ve really got to start scrolling down when I’m previewing the post.

[phouka]

I remember my Mom wearing her cap regularly well into the 80s. Every now and then, she says she misses the white uniform and cap, but then, this is a lady who washes the dishes before she puts them in the dishwasher.

The reason nurses’ caps went away is because in the early 80s, nurses working in ICU or pediatrics kept getting their caps knocked off when ducking under equipment. Eventually, those nurses did away with the caps and even took to wearing scrubs instead of the white uniforms. Eventually, comfort and convenience caught on. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a nurse in the US who wears the old white uniform, pantyhose, shoes, and cap.

My mom still keeps her cap, though.