The over-clothing garment, as well as leggings, gloves, boots, and a hat, were made of waxed leather. This consisted of a bird-like mask with spectacles, and a long leather (Moroccan or Levantine) or waxed-canvas gown which went from the neck to the ankle.
#THE PLAGUE DOCTOR DIAGRAM TRANSPARENT FULL#
Medical historians have attributed the invention of the “beak doctor” costume to Charles de Lorme, who adopted in 1619 the idea of a full head-to-toe protective garment, modeled after a soldier’s armor. The canes were also used to keep people away, to remove clothing from plague victims without having to touch them, and to take a patient’s pulse. They used wooden canes in order to point out areas needing attention and to examine patients without touching them. The beak doctor costume worn by plague doctors had a wide-brimmed leather hat to indicate their profession. Doctors believed the herbs would counter the “evil” smells of the plague and prevent them from becoming infected. The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, known as miasma, which were thought to be the principal cause of the disease, before it was disproved by germ theory. The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge. The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items. The mask had glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like a bird’s beak with straps that held the beak in front of the doctor’s nose. This theory of disease believed that people got sick from “bad air”, and so what this mask’s long nose was designed to do was the wearers would put pleasant smelling herbs and light then on fire to prevent Miasma from being inhaled by the wearer by “cleansing” the “bad air”. This mask was designed to fight against the Miasma theory. His nose-case is filled with herbal material to keep off the plague. 1721, of a plague doctor of Marseilles (introduced as ‘Dr Beaky of Rome’). During medieval Europe, there were two main theories of how diseases were spread and contracted: the Four Humors theory, and the Miasma theory. This authentic 16th century plague doctor mask has been preserved over the years and is currently on display at the German Museum of Medical History in Ingolstadt. This was the first design of the Plague Doctor’s mask.
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