These were meant to ward the disease away because people believed miasma (“bad air”) spread the disease. The mask also had a utilitarian function, as the beak was packed with strong, pleasant smelling substances, such as ambergris, mint, or rose petals. Therefore, the use of such a mask may have stemmed from the belief that the disease could be removed from a patient by transferring it to the garment. According to one source, people once believed that the plague was spread by birds. The next item is the well-known plague doctor mask, which was bird-like in shape, and had a long beak. Although the hat served a symbolic function, it has been speculated that it may have provided some protection by keeping some bacteria away. This was made of leather and was meant to indicate that its wearer was a doctor. To start, a hat was worn on the plague doctor’s head. L’Orme’s protective suit consists of several elements that are easily recognizable. Special physician clothes for preventing pestilence (Germany, XVII century) at Jena ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) The man attributed with the invention of this ‘plague suit’ is Charles de l’Orme, the chief physician of three French kings (Henri IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV), and was also in the service of the Medici family of Italy. It was only in 1619 that a ‘uniform’ was invented, which became popular amongst plague doctors. Prior to the 17th century, plague doctors wore a variety of protective suits. ( CC BY 4.0 ) Who Invented the Plague Doctor Suit?Īs plague doctors were in contact with victims of such a deadly disease, they were at risk of falling ill themselves, and therefore had to take precautions that would minimize this risk. The Plague that brought down mighty empires is thousands of years older than thoughtĪ physician wearing a seventeenth century plague preventive costume.
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