When surgical gloves were first introduced, the gloves were sterilised by boiling and then put on wet over wet hands. Citation:ellis 1990 hazards of surgical glove dusting powders
With the introduction of dry sterilisation, a dusting powder was necessary to facilitate donning of the glove. Originally, talc was used, but by the early 1940's it was recognised that talc caused granulomas and adhesions. Corn starch treated with epichlorhydrin was found to be a good alternative. This corn starch powder (mixed with 2% magnesium oxide to act as a dessicating or "anti-caking" agent) became known as absorbable dusting powder (Biosorb®), and is still in use today.