September 19, 2020
Who were the plague doctors?
Plague doctors were physicians specialized in treating patients infected with the bubonic plague disease.
Due to the risk of their job, many professional doctors refused to accept it, so the majority of plague doctors were recent graduates, inexperienced young people who took the job to improve their career, although the majority of they died of Black Death.
These people were hired by city governments, they were public workers, and they cared for all the inhabitants free of charge, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.
Their appearance was different from the other doctors, since they had to wear clothing that protected each part of their body to avoid contact with the “Bad Air”. Long robes, high boots, gloves, hat, and a strange beak-shaped mask. The masks had this bulky shape in the nose to be able to put aromatic herbs, which filtered the bad air. They were the first masks to incorporate an air filtering system, based on natural herbs. Predecors of the surgical masks that we use today to protect ourselves from COVID-19.
They also used a cane that they used as a measure of distance from patients. Yes, social distancing was also applied in the Black Death pandemic, as in the coronavirus pandemic.
Their outfits were different in each wave and in each country, since these doctors were present in every wave of the bubonic plague, from the 1300s to the 1900s.
Today there are many replicas of the plague doctor masks, based on ancient illustrations, with different shapes, colors and designs. You can find thousands of handmade masks on Etsy: Plague doctor maks for sale.
If you want to know more curiosities about the Black Death, in our blog you will find more interesting articles. Thanks for reading! 🙂
