Comments on: Trivia: The Gruesome Origin of the Barber Pole http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/ The Neat Side of the Web Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:56:18 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: rob http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-1142820 rob Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:32:07 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-1142820 The red and white colors only symbolized, white for the clothes that medic's wore when performing medical situations, and red stood for the color of blood . The older symbol, FOUR SIDED CROSS, that was common years ago on ambulances was the color red in the center, and the ambulance was usually white to go with it. Doctors,Nurses,Barbers,Dentist and Hospitals all went by that theem. The barber pole also became controversial when the uni-sex shops became known as a place for men and women to get a hair cut in the 1960's. I hope that was cleared up a little. The red and white colors only symbolized, white for the clothes that medic's wore when performing medical situations, and red stood for the color of blood . The older symbol, FOUR SIDED CROSS, that was common years ago on ambulances was the color red in the center, and the ambulance was usually white to go with it. Doctors,Nurses,Barbers,Dentist and Hospitals all went by that theem. The barber pole also became controversial when the uni-sex shops became known as a place for men and women to get a hair cut in the 1960's. I hope that was cleared up a little.

]]> By: ted http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-398119 ted Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:10:10 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-398119 Tim, how can you be so opinionated about this, considering that you've never been a bloodletter, a barber, or a psychiatrist? Aren't you just a puppet of the media? Tim, how can you be so opinionated about this, considering that you've never been a bloodletter, a barber, or a psychiatrist?

Aren't you just a puppet of the media?

]]> By: Louisa http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-398108 Louisa Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:03:53 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-398108 LOL @ #5. Please don't sue me Tim! LOL @ #5. Please don't sue me Tim!

]]> By: Lo http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-397940 Lo Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:31:06 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-397940 Again, Tim, you misspelled your name. Again, Tim, you misspelled your name.

]]> By: Rohin http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-396824 Rohin Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:15:31 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-396824 That's right Miss Cellania. The poles were initially used for patients to grip tightly with a tourniquet applied on the upper arm - this way the veins would appear more prominently. Bloodletting was believed to cure all sorts of ills (one of Hippocrates' cockups). Blood would drip down the pole (leeches were subsequently used to increase the bleeding) and as you say MC, the poles would be hung out with bloody bandages that sometimes wrapped around. The ball represents the bowl (with leeches). Interestingly, the two groups of surgeons - the barber surgeons and the 'real' medically-trained surgeons - had their own coloured poles. The two groups were amalgamated by force and maintained their own identities. The barbers had a blue and white pole, whereas the surgeons had the familiar red and white pole. So it's strange that the barbers later adopted this one. Some have interpreted the blue to mean venous blood and the red to mean arterial. Tim, there are still two occasions we perform blood letting. But come on, it's a far more scientific than this psychiatry you talk of. That's right Miss Cellania. The poles were initially used for patients to grip tightly with a tourniquet applied on the upper arm - this way the veins would appear more prominently. Bloodletting was believed to cure all sorts of ills (one of Hippocrates' cockups). Blood would drip down the pole (leeches were subsequently used to increase the bleeding) and as you say MC, the poles would be hung out with bloody bandages that sometimes wrapped around. The ball represents the bowl (with leeches).

Interestingly, the two groups of surgeons - the barber surgeons and the 'real' medically-trained surgeons - had their own coloured poles. The two groups were amalgamated by force and maintained their own identities. The barbers had a blue and white pole, whereas the surgeons had the familiar red and white pole. So it's strange that the barbers later adopted this one. Some have interpreted the blue to mean venous blood and the red to mean arterial.

Tim, there are still two occasions we perform blood letting. But come on, it's a far more scientific than this psychiatry you talk of.

]]> By: Tim http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-396762 Tim Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:47:21 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-396762 Bloodletting was a barborous and superstitious practice; much like modern day psychiatry. Bloodletting was a barborous and superstitious practice; much like modern day psychiatry.

]]> By: Miss Cellania http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-396565 Miss Cellania Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:47:54 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-396565 I read once where they would hang their bloody rags and bandages outside to dry, and the wind would sometimes twist them around the signpost... and that's how the sign originated. I read once where they would hang their bloody rags and bandages outside to dry, and the wind would sometimes twist them around the signpost... and that's how the sign originated.

]]> By: Rohin http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/comment-page-1/#comment-396537 Rohin Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:31:29 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/16/trivia-the-gruesome-origin-of-the-barber-pole/#comment-396537 Barbers performed quite a lot of surgery (it was their role for hundreds of years, not doctors') such as tooth-extraction, amputations (often war-related), excisions etc. Blood-letting was one of their duties. The fact we call surgeons 'Mr' and physicians 'Dr' in the UK is a legacy of the barbershop surgeons (who didn't train in the same initial way). Barbers performed quite a lot of surgery (it was their role for hundreds of years, not doctors') such as tooth-extraction, amputations (often war-related), excisions etc. Blood-letting was one of their duties. The fact we call surgeons 'Mr' and physicians 'Dr' in the UK is a legacy of the barbershop surgeons (who didn't train in the same initial way).

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