Walter Olson has a post at  Overlawyered about a proposed law before the New York Legislature to  ban the wearing of neckties by physicians in hospitals.

“Some lawmakers in Albany want a state law to prohibit doctors from wearing neckties in hospitals.” They cite a study showing that infectious bacteria might be “carried on ties and other loose-fitting clothing.”

Why this requires a law out of Albany rather than a protocol among physicians is unclear, beyond the need of lawmakers to believe that it’s up to them to assert control over the most minute aspect of life on the streets (drop the Happymeal and put your hands in the air).

However, if ties in hospitals spreads infectious bacteria, a very serious problem in a place filled with the sick and dying with plenty of disease to share, then this seems a no brainer.  Aside from docs having really cool scrubs to wear as a substitute to street clothing, the desire to walk about in the uniform of well-dressed man is hardly sufficient reason to emulate Typhoid Mary.

This made me wonder how it happened that men began adorning themselves with such foppy decorations as ties in the first place.  True, they can be fun to wear, and are very much a part of the lawyer’s uniform in court, formal meetings and funerals, but our Puritan heritage tended to favor utility over decoration, and ties seem so fundamentally contrary. 

According to  Wikipedia, ties (or cravats, coming from a bastardized French version of Croats) were first worn by Croatian mercenaries during the 30 Years’ War (1618–1648), where the French adopted them as a fashion craze.  Figures.

As ties developed through a few fashion statements, there appears to be no particular reason for their existence of continuation.  They were nothing more than a fashion statement, an adornment. And yet they persisted.

I like ties. Given that the spectrum of colors of my work wardrobe ranges from blue all the way to gray, a tie offers a bit of color, a chance to air my personal fashion taste.  But I could live without it. 

If ties spread bacteria in hospitals, and it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to understand why they might, dangling as they do and touching surfaces and sick people regularly, it would seem outrageous to perpetuate something as frivolous as a male affection at the risk of harm to others.  Sure, they make us look darn good, but that’s not a reason to kill people.

Could this be the end of ties, the death of the male uniform?  Given it’s history and the fact that ties have persisted in one form or another for centuries despite the fact that they serve no actual purpose, it seems unlikely.  Maybe men, unwittingly, still have a genetic need to add a splash of color to their appearance, whether to attract mates or show their self-worth (remember the red “power tie”?).

But if there is finally a good reason to put down the cravat, change the uniform with which we’ve all grown so comfortable and familiar, this could be enough to break the fashion cycle.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there will not be a return to colorful suspenders.  After all, they do keep our trousers from falling down, a very useful thing for all involved.