The Dark History Of The Barbershop

According to the Barber-Surgeons Guild, it was precisely because barbers were so skillful with scissors and razors and the like that they were designated to do surgeries, something standard physicians were unwilling to do.

Yet distinctions were made between barbers and surgeons over time, and eventually barber-surgeons were ordered to stick to doing shaves, cutting hair, bloodletting, cupping, leeching, and pulling teeth, whereas those with actual surgical training and education were to do the more complex operations, the ADA reported. Still, according to the Barbershop Museum, it wasn't until 1775 that a bill was passed that officially separated barbers from surgeons, and it was then that barbers started using the iconic barber pole to separate and identify themselves.

According to History, the reason for today's barber pole colors harkens back to those bloody days at the barbershop. In Europe a barber pole is red and white. The red is symbolic of bloodletting and the white is symbolic of the bandages used by barber-surgeons to stop the bleeding. The pole itself is said to represent a pole-like object the patient would squeeze so the barber-surgeon could more easily find the vein.

In the U.S., blue was added to the barber pole's color pattern. According to History there are a couple of theories on that. One is that the blue is symbolic of the vein that was cut to release blood; another is that the blue, added to the red and white, is a show of patriotism.

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