Also...wikipedia reveals the history of barber's poles...
"The origin of the barber pole is associated with the service of bloodletting.[1] During medieval times, barbers also performed surgery on customers as well as tooth extractions. The original pole had a brass basin at the top (representing the vessel in which leeches were kept) and bottom (representing the basin which received the blood). The pole itself represents the staff that the patient gripped during the procedure to encourage blood flow.
In the middle ages in France a decree was issued banning facial hair in men.[citation needed] This helped the barber trade to organise. Later, their role was defined by the College de Saint Come, established in Paris in about 1210, as academic surgeons of the long robe and barber surgeons of the short robe.
The red and white stripes symbolize the bandages used during the procedure: red for the blood-stained and white for the clean bandages. Originally, these bandages were hung out on the pole to dry after washing. As the bandages blew in the wind, they would twist together to form the spiral pattern similar to the stripes in the modern day barber pole. The barber pole became emblematic of the barber/surgeon's profession. Later the cloths were replaced by a painted wooden pole of red and white stripes."
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