Saturday Morning Beard Fact

In the 1900s the discussion about beards also moved into the medical sphere, where beards were never banned, but the possibility of such a ban was regularly debated. The consensus seemed to be that surgeons should be clean-shaven, although general practitioners did not need to be. One case that made the newspapers was revealed by a whistle-blowing surgeon horrified by the actions of one of his older colleagues. He revealed that the surgeon has refused to tie up his beard, and it had touched the area being operated on, which was otherwise sterile. The young doctor kept an eye on his patient for several days and noted that the places where the beard hairs had touched the wound all became infected.

Moustaches, Whiskers & Beards by Lucinda Hawksley, National Portrait Gallery