White Coats and Red Carnations

What do red carnations and white coats have in common? They both relate to National Doctors’ Day which happens every year on March 30.

The history of this special day is interesting. It started with the wife of a doctor who, on March 30, 1933, decided to honor the doctors she knew. She mailed greeting cards to the living doctors; and placed red carnations on the graves of the deceased.

She chose March 30 because that was a significant day in the development of medical care – it was the anniversary of the very first time general anesthesia was used during a surgery. For nearly five decades, March 30 remained an unofficial observance day. It became an official national holiday in 1991 when Congress passed Proclamation 6253.

So, on this March 30, 2023, send a note to your favorite doctor or provider. Leave a red carnation on the grave of one who has passed. And thank God that he has chosen to give extraordinary wisdom to these important, life-saving professionals on whom we all depend.