A Doctor With a Long Pointy Beak

When the plague struck Europe in the 17th century, doctors wore costumes with a long beak-like mask filled with fragrant herbs. The costume was intended to protect them from the disease, which they believed was airborne.

Today, we know that plague is transmitted mainly by flea bites, but there is still no vaccine against the pneumonic form of the disease and it can be fatal if untreated. So, in case you are worried about an outbreak of plague this holiday season, here is a simple DIY guide to making your own plague doctor costume.

Plague Doctor A costume for the holidays

This is the first of two entries about plague doctor costumes. I’ll be talking about the historical background and science of plague doctors next week, but today I want to discuss how to make a 17th-century plague doctor costume.

A plague doctor was a physician who treated victims of the bubonic plague. Invented in 1619 by Charles de Lorme, “plague doctor” was a speciality, not a title: most doctors did not treat plague victims, because they were too busy dying themselves. The protective outfit made their job relatively safe (although not completely), which is why there are records of doctors visiting their families even after working in an infected house.

De Lorme’s design called for a mask with glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird. The beak would be filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly ambergris, mint leaves, or dried flowers) thought to counter the “bad air” (miasma theory) believed to cause infection. The mask had a wide straw hat also filled with aromatics to protect the head from infection. A waxed overcoat completed the outfit, which only left openings for the eyes and

In the seventeenth century, doctors wore beaks to treat plague victims. The beak-shaped mask was filled with sweet-smelling herbs and flowers that were meant to prevent the doctor from contracting the disease while treating patients. Today, this bizarre plague doctor costume is a popular Halloween getup, but it has its dark origins in European history.

The concept of quarantine originated in Italy during the Black Death pandemic of the fourteenth century. The word itself derives from the Italian quaranta giorni (“forty days”) which was often assigned as the length of a ship’s isolation when arriving at port cities to prove that its crew was not infected with plague. (It should be noted that this length of time was not based on any medical facts but rather on the Bible’s 40 days spent by Moses on Mount Sinai.)

The practice was adopted in Northern Europe as well and by 1619, when an outbreak struck Marseille, France, authorities were able to isolate vessels and their occupants to avoid further spread. However, they were still unable to curb infection among inhabitants of the landlocked city itself. In an effort to prevent contagion, doctors began wearing protective clothing such as heavy robes made of waxed material and gloves made of leather or horsehide.

What to wear to the office holiday party this year? Blah, blah, blah, ugly sweater, blah blah. Been there, done that! Ho ho ho!

A plague doctor costume is a little more original and will certainly get you noticed.

And thanks to the current popularity of steampunk fashion and cosplay — think “Alice in Wonderland” meets “Mad Max” — it’s not as difficult as you might think to find the components of a decent plague doctor outfit. (If you are new here, this is a blog about science history.)

The plague doctor mask is the most important feature of this costume. The original masks were designed to protect doctors from putrid air. The beak was filled with aromatic herbs or medications and the wearer’s eyes peered through glass openings.

The plague doctor costume was a specialty dress for physicians who treated victims of the bubonic plague. The outfit would consist of:

1. A heavy woolen knee-length robe

2. A wide brimmed round hat

3. Glasses to protect the eyes

4. A beak shaped mask filled with aromatic items (quite often herbs, spices, or dried flowers) to keep disease from spreading

5. A stick (not shown) to keep people away at a safe distance

The last few years I’ve been to Halloween parties at my friend Chris’s house. They are fun, but I don’t want to wear a costume. So I usually just go in street clothes.

This year I decided to put some minimal effort into it, and came up with this:

I wrote the URL on a piece of paper, folded it up, and stuck it in my beak. This was not a great idea. If you’re going to hand someone a piece of paper, stick it in your beak pointing out. Otherwise you have to open your beak for them, which gives them a good view of the inside of your mask, which is black and kind of gross-looking.

The beaks were packed with sweet or strong smelling substances, such as dried flowers, herbs, spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge. 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.

The mask had glass eye openings to improve vision. The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including lavender and peppermint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge.

The use of beaked masks by plague doctors occurred across Europe but most notably in France and Italy. This method of treatment did not appear to have been very successful and did not survive beyond the 17th century.

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