Medical exam gloves are disposable items used during procedures in order to help prevent contamination between caregivers and their patients. Common materials utilized in the construction of these gloves consist of latex, rubber, and vinyl, sometimes coated with powder so that they may be put on the hand a lot more easily.
Medical examination gloves are different than surgical gloves, which need to be significantly more precise in their sizing and are generally made to a higher standard, given the seriousness of their intended application.
Exam gloves were first invented by William Stewart Halsted in 1890 at Johns Hopkins University. Germ theory had just come out in the medical literature and was becoming more and more accepted, and Mr. Halsted was utilizing carbolic acid to sterilize his and his nurse's hands. The nurse's skin was damaged due to her sensitivity to the chemical, so Mr. Halsted had the Goodyear company (yes, of rubber fame) produce a glove that could withstand carbolic acid.
It wasn't until 1964 that latex exam gloves were made available by Ansell, an Australian business that adapted the technique for making condoms to make medical gloves instead. Unfortunately, latex also affected many, and so vinyl designs became more and more popular. However, when it comes to surgery, latex is still the preferred material simply because its properties afford the best touch-sensitivity around, an important consideration when performing surgery. Also, several latex alternatives are significantly more costly, and hospitals in the United States are under constant pressure to hold down costs.
Powder-free exam gloves might also be found in electronics manufacturing, where the necessity of cleanliness is very similar to that required by many medical environments. Food service gloves can seem just like those utilized for medical procedures, but are frequently not cleared for medical use despite having stringent Food and Drug Administration regulations attached to their construction.
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