"We can handle any normal situation," said one weary doctor, dressed in a green surgical smock.

Bashir wiped his gloved hands across the front of his amber- and umber-splattered surgical smock.

This time the call was put straight through, and showed a swarthy, gray-bearded man dressed in what looked like a surgical smock.

They said hospital staff members told them the woman had been seen repeatedly in the building, wearing a white dress and stockings and a blue-green surgical smock.

"I'm not sure I understand your point, Pavel," she said aloud, doffing her surgical smock and tossing it into a nearby clothing 'cycler.

He was pacing back and forth, his green surgical smock still intact.

Then he laid the book aside, rose regretfully from his bunk, and straightened his surgical smock.

Though he rarely practiced medicine, and even more rarely performed surgery, he delighted in wearing a surgical smock and never took one off while awake.

Afghan women doctors understand this to mean that they cannot wear trousers or even surgical smocks.

A nurse put a green surgical smock over his street clothes.