Dr Lazarou, Plague Doctor, Vintage
The uniform of medical practitioners during the Great Plague of the 1600s. The strange appearance is the result of the erroneous belief that the plague was caused by 'foul air.' To counter this, the 'beak' of the mask would be filled with herbs and spices which would 'filter' the air like an early gas mask. However, this made communication very difficult, so the plague doctor would use a 'wand' or staff to issue instructions. They would also often prescribe odd medicines, such as spiders and toads (whose skin absorbs air and water) and even a urine bath.
Of-course, in reality, the bubonic plague is caused by flea bites that lived on the many rats in cities at this time. Ironically though, plague doctors were protected by their uniforms, but not for the reasons they thought. The mask came with a thick leather overcoat and gloves, which somewhat protected the wearer from flea bites to a degree
Dr Lazarou, Plague Doctor, Vintage
The uniform of medical practitioners during the Great Plague of the 1600s. The strange appearance is the result of the erroneous belief that the plague was caused by 'foul air.' To counter this, the 'beak' of the mask would be filled with herbs and spices which would 'filter' the air like an early gas mask. However, this made communication very difficult, so the plague doctor would use a 'wand' or staff to issue instructions. They would also often prescribe odd medicines, such as spiders and toads (whose skin absorbs air and water) and even a urine bath.
Of-course, in reality, the bubonic plague is caused by flea bites that lived on the many rats in cities at this time. Ironically though, plague doctors were protected by their uniforms, but not for the reasons they thought. The mask came with a thick leather overcoat and gloves, which somewhat protected the wearer from flea bites to a degree