Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Plague Mask




Consequences of the Black Death



Considered an early form of hazmat suit, a plague doctor's clothing consisted of:

A wide-brimmed black hat worn close to the head. At the time, a wide-brimmed black hat would have been identified a person as a doctor, much the same as how nowadays a hat may identify chefs, soldiers, and workers. The wide-brimmed hat may have also been used as partial shielding from infection.
A primitive gas mask in the shape of a bird's beak. A common belief at the time was that the plague was spread by birds. There may have been a belief that by dressing in a bird-like mask, the wearer could draw the plague away from the patient and onto the garment the plague doctor wore. The mask also included red glass eyepieces, which were thought to make the wearer impervious to evil. The beak of the mask was often filled with strongly aromatic herbs and spices to overpower the miasmas or "bad air" which was also thought to carry the plague. At the very least, it may have served a dual purpose of dulling the smell of unburied corpses, sputum, and ruptured bouboules in plague victims.
A long, black overcoat. The overcoat worn by the plague doctor was tucked in behind the beak mask at the neckline to minimize skin exposure. It extended to the feet, and was often coated head to toe in suet or wax. A coating of suet may have been used with the thought that the plague could be drawn away from the flesh of the infected victim and either trapped by the suet, or repelled by the wax. The coating of wax likely served as protection against respiratory droplet contamination, but it was not known at the time if coughing carried the plague. It was likely that the overcoat was waxed to simply prevent sputum or other bodily fluids from clinging to it.
A wooden cane. The cane was used to both direct family members to move the patient, other individuals nearby, and possibly to examine the patient with directly.
Leather breeches. Similar to waders worn by fishermen, leather breeches were worn beneath the cloak to protect the legs and groin from infection. Since the plague often tended to manifest itself first in the lymph nodes, particular attention was paid to protecting the armpits, neck, and groin. It is not known how often or widespread plague doctors were, or how effective they were in treatment of the disease. It's likely that while offering some protection to the wearer, they may have actually contributed more to the spreading of the disease than its treatment, in that the plague doctor unknowingly served as a vector for infected fleas to move from host to host.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

my grandma almost died in 1918 and one of her kids did.

if I had a dr with that beaky mask I think it would give me a heart attack lol.

Peter said...

Jilly: I'm so sorry to hear about your family.
It's been kind of crazy the last couple of days in clinic. People are feeling the gamut of emotions: borderline hysteria over the slightest cold or abdominal gurgle, to totally unaware (or in denial) that any of this is even happening.
I am concerned, but not losing sleep over it yet. And I have never washed my hands so many times in a clinic day!

Especially concerning after having two hispanic teens (from Mexico) present with cough and sore throat (but no fever, etc).

I'd be scared of a beaky masked doctor, too.

Jeannine said...

Yes, a great time for someone with a trick immune system to go to a California festival of 60,000 people :)D'oh!
Good luck with your work, Peter - I know just talking to you will make a lot of them feel better.
I also hope you're wearing your bird mask and leather pants!

Kelli Russell Agodon - Book of Kells said...

Jilly's comment about the beaky mask made me laugh out loud.

Peter, I think we have a new look for you at readings, leather pants and beaky mask-- you would definitely be remembered!

BTW, hope all is well with D., I haven't had a chance to check in with you after Sunday's reading. We missed you. Hope you're both well rested and doing well!

Peter said...

J9: Be careful! (I know you always are). I have one word of advice: "purell."

K: Thx. Dean is fine now. No more nosebleeds after getting a cautery. Hope to see you soon. Maybe at Holly's anthology release?

Radish King said...

I saw that beaky mask in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and it scared the crap out of me but I didn't know why. Now I know why.

R, bathing in Purell.

Collin Kelley said...

Fascinating info, Peter. Thanks for posting this. The media is whipping this into a frenzy, which does little to spread important information.