Gauze is a thin,translucentfabric with aloose openweave. In technical terms, "gauze" is a weave structure in which theweft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after eachwarp 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 ofnon-woven fabric.[2]
The wordgauze came into English in the 16th century via Frenchgaze, beyond which its history is uncertain.[3]
Most scholars tracegauze to aPersian word for thin cloth or anArabic word for raw silk.[4][5][3][6][7][8][9]
The1279 Council of Baden banned clergy from wearing "black burnet,garzatum, and all other fine cloths",[10] and the termgarças is known inItalian texts fromc. 1250.[11][12] In 1678,Charles Du Cange suggested connectinggarzatum to bothgaze and theplace nameGaza (Arabic:غزةghazza),[13][14] and gauze remains popularly associated with Gaza.[15] However, there is no evidence for this beyond the phonetic similarity of the two words, which was enhanced by Du Cange's emendation ofgarzatum togazzatum,[7][8] and no trace of a historical Gazan textile industry has been found.[9][3][6] According toLeif Wilhelmsen andJames Murray, the wordsgaze andgauze are probably not related togarzatum anyway, because they first appeared long aftergarzatum had fallen out of use.[15][7]
Other scholars trace the wordgauze to aNorman word for a fine-leafed plant[16] or aHindi word for coarse cloth.[8] It may be related togossamer, which is known fromChaucer in the 14th century.[8]
Gauze was originally made ofsilk and was used for clothing. It is now used for many different things, includinggauze sponges for medical purposes. Modern gauze is also made of synthetic fibers, especially when used inclothing.
Gauze may be woven or non-woven. Woven gauze is loosely woven, usually from cotton fibers, allowing absorption orwicking ofexudate and other fluids. Gauze can be woven with fine or coarse mesh; coarse gauze is useful for medicaldebridement, 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.[17]
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.[17]
When used as amedical dressing, woven gauze is usually made ofcotton.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 ofzinc oxide andcalamine to promote healing, as inUnna's boot. Gauze is also used during procedures involvingaccidental 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 inmilk orsaline to keep it alive while the tooth is being transported or prepared for reinsertion.[18]
Infilm andtheatre, gauze is often fashioned into ascrim.
Gauze used inbookbinding is calledmull, and is used in case binding to adhere the text block to thebook cover.[19]
The termwire gauze is used for woven metal sheets, for example placed on top of aBunsen burner, or used in asafety lamp or ascreen spark arrestor.
