Gauze
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Gauze is a thin, translucent fabric with a loose open weave. In technical terms, "gauze" is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after each warp yarn, keeping the weft firmly in place.[1] This weave structure is used to add stability to the fabric, which is important when using fine yarns loosely spaced. However, this weave structure can be used with any weight of yarn, and can be seen in some rustic textiles made from coarse hand-spun plant fiber yarns. Gauze is widely used for medical dressings.
Gauze can also be made of non-woven fabric.[2]
Etymology and history
The word "gauze" came into English in the 16th century via French gaze, referring to fine, lightweight fabrics. This appears earlier in medieval Latin as garza in Bologna (1250) and Rome (1361), and as gazzatum in Budapest (1279).[3][4] The term garças is known in Italian texts from c. Template:TrimScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..[5][6][7]
Linguistically, this links to Arabic gazz (قز) meaning raw silk, Persian gaz for coarse silk of little value, and Turkish gazī (گزی) referring to coarse cotton cloth.[8][9][10]
In 1678, Charles Du Cange suggested connecting garzatum to both gaze and the place name Gaza (Template:Langx Script error: No such module "lang".).[11][12]
Despite prohibition of trade with non-Christians from religious authorities in medieval Europe, a fine type of silk known as "gazzatum" was imported into Europe as early as the 13th century.[13] The 1279 Council of Baden banned clergy from wearing "black burnet, garzatum, and all other fine cloths".[14]
Likely through cultural transmission during the Crusades and trade expansion along the Silk Road, these terms entered Europe when Gaza was a known textile and spice centre exporting light fabrics when many textiles were named after the place they were made.[15][16][17][18][19][20] Most definitions reinforce the fabric’s association with raw or loosely woven textiles and its probable origin in Gaza.[21][22][23]
While many definitions associate gauze with raw or loosely woven textiles and link it to Gaza, this origin remains debated. Scholars such as Leif Wilhelmsen and James Murray argue that gaze and gauze likely have no relation to garzatum, as they emerged long after the latter had fallen out of use.[24][25][26][27][28]
Alternative theories trace the word gauze to a Norman word for a fine-leafed plant[29] or a Hindi word for coarse cloth.[27] It may be related to gossamer, which is known from Chaucer in the 14th century.[27]
Uses and types
Gauze was originally made of silk and was used for clothing. It is now used for many different things, including gauze sponges for medical purposes. Modern gauze is also made of synthetic fibers, especially when used in clothing.
Woven versus non-woven
Gauze may be woven or non-woven. Woven gauze is loosely woven, usually from cotton fibers, allowing absorption or wicking of exudate and other fluids. Gauze can be woven with fine or coarse mesh; coarse gauze is useful for medical debridement, while fine gauze is better for packing wounds. Woven gauze is less absorbent than non-woven, and may leave lint in a wound, especially if cut.[30]
Non-woven gauze is made from fibers that are pressed together rather than woven, providing better absorbency and wicking than woven gauze. Non-woven gauze is usually made from synthetic fibers such as rayon or polyester, or a blend which may include cotton. Non-woven gauze is stronger, bulkier and softer than woven gauze, and produces less lint.[30]
Medical use
When used as a medical dressing, woven gauze is usually made of cotton. It is especially useful for dressing wounds where other fabrics might stick to the burn or laceration. Many modern medical gauzes are covered with a perforated plastic film such as Telfa or a polyblend which prevents direct contact and further minimizes wound adhesion. Also, it can be impregnated with a thick, creamy mixture of zinc oxide and calamine to promote healing, as in Unna's boot. Gauze is also used during procedures involving accidental tooth loss; either the gauze is used to provide pressure as the tooth is moved back into its corresponding socket, or the tooth is wrapped in gauze and placed in milk or saline to keep it alive while the tooth is being transported or prepared for reinsertion.[31]
Other uses
In film and theatre, gauze is often fashioned into a scrim.
Gauze used in bookbinding is called mull, and is used in case binding to adhere the text block to the book cover.[32]
The term wire gauze is used for woven metal sheets, for example placed on top of a Bunsen burner, or used in a safety lamp or a screen spark arrestor.
See also
- Leno weave
- Mesh
- Adhesive bandage
- Lacebark or gauze tree
References
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- ↑ Emery, Irene (1966). The Primary Structure of Fabrics. Washington, D.C.: Thames and Hudson, p. 180. Template:ISBN.
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Compare gazere in the Anglo-Norman Dictionary.
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