“The Plague Doctor costume – Medical master or Mad man?”

“The Plague Doctor outfit was worn by physicians who treated those suffering the Black Plague. It consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat and an outer over garment.”

“The Plague Doctor’s clothing consisted of a heavy fabric over-coat that was waxed to repel fluid. The over-coat would be ankle length, with long sleeves and a high collar. They would wear leather gloves to protect them from possible infection and carried a cane to examine patients without making skin contact. The protective garments are thought to have originated in France in the 17th century.”

The Plague Doctor’s coat was an invention of Charles de Lorme. Charles de Lorme was the chief physician to King Louis XIII. He created the mask in 1619 when there was an outbreak of the Bubonic plague in Paris. Charles de Lorme modeled his mask on the long beaked masks used by doctors treating smallpox patients during the 16th century. These masks were filled with aromatic items believed to combat infection: herbs, spices,

The Plague Doctor costume consisted of a full length leather or waxed canvas gown with an attached mask that consisted of an oversized beak like nose, filled with herbs, dried flowers and spices to protect the doctor from the miasma or bad air that was thought to spread disease. The rest of the face was covered by glass eye openings and a fabric covering for the lower part of the face. The top of the costume was completed with a broad brimmed leather hat.

The Medical Master or Mad Man?

The origins of this garment can be traced back to the Black Death that ravaged Europe from 1347 – 1353. It is widely accepted that the first Plague Doctor was Charles de Lorme (1584 – 1678) who was the Chief Physician in Paris during many plague epidemics in France. De Lorme wrote a book “The Method of Curing all Infectious Diseases” where he describes his ideas on what caused the plague. He believed that it was caused by a mixture of bad air and rotten gases emanating from rotting corpses and excrement that floated around in the atmosphere, this would get into your lungs when you breathed and cause infection. His solution to this problem was to wear a long leather coat, which had a waxed

The Plague Doctor’s costume was the clothing worn by a plague doctor to protect them from airborne diseases. The costume, originating in 17th century France, consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment. The garments were invented by Charles de L’Orme in 1619 in response to the growing epidemics of the plague.

The Plague Doctor’s Costume is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death. Though the image is iconic the relationship may be a little anachronistic. While plague doctors have been plying their trade since the Middle Ages, it was only after this period, during the 17th century, that they acquired their creepy trademark costume.

The medical profession of the 17th century was badly in need of reform. In fact it had hardly changed since Hippocrates. The profession was still an art and not a science, and there was very little separation between surgeons and physicians.

Treatment was also extremely brutal and primitive. Bleeding, purging and blistering were common remedies for all manner of ailments, but they rarely worked. It is hardly surprising then that during the plague years patients fled from their doctors just as they would have done from their executioners.

It is thought that the idea behind the Plague Doctor’s clothing originated with Charles de L’Orme who wrote a treatise on the plague in 1619. The treatise contained detailed descriptions of how to make up a medicine chest for use against the plague. This chest included items such as mead mixed with rosemary, camphor mixed with cuttlefish bone and vinegar mixed with saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate). These mixtures were used to bathe patients and fumigate rooms where infected persons had been confined.

In 1656, physicians in Marseille were issued with long gowns which covered them from neck to toe, fastened at the neck and wrists with leather ties which in turn were soaked in vinegar or

The Plague Doctor’s costume was the clothing worn by a plague doctor to protect him from airborne diseases. The costume, used in France and Italy in the 17th century, consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-clothing garment. The beak mask had glass openings for the eyes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird.

The masks were designed to protect them from putrid air that many believed was the cause of infection. This consisted of a wide brimmed leather hat, waxed heavy cloth overcoat, long leather gloves, boots, a stick (to keep people away) and most notably a mask with glass eye holes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird. The masks were designed to protect them from putrid air that many believed was the cause of infection.

In the Middle Ages, the medical profession was not as sophisticated as it is today. In the 17th century, doctors wore a costume that was then called “the costume of the plague”. It was worn by doctors who treated patients with the plague. Nowadays, this costume is a symbol of death, darkness and evil. However, in the 17th century it had a different meaning.

The costume consisted of a long black coat and a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances (commonly lavender), along with gloves, boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and an outer over-cloak. The over-cloak was often waxed to repel water and protect them from airborne diseases. The hat and cloak were often lined with civet cat fur to ward off infection by fleas on clothing. This outfit served physicians as personal protective equipment when examining infected patients during an outbreak of the plague or other airborne diseases. Because these physicians were some of the first people to handle such dangerous situations, they became known as Plague Doctors.

In the 17th century, the European doctors were faced with a new disease that was spreading quickly in their domain. As well as having no cure for this unknown disease, the doctors did not even know how it spread from person to person. They eventually came up with an answer: The Plague was caused by a miasma – a poisonous vapour or gas exuded by rotting organic matter and spread by the wind.

The plague doctor’s costume was therefore designed to protect them from this airborne disease. A waxed overcoat covered their clothes and leather boots protected their legs and feet. Their hats were designed to hold flowers that they believed would purify the air around them.

The most striking feature of their costume is the beaked mask that they wore. This mask had two small nose holes and was designed to hold scented substances such as herbs, spices and dried flowers. These were thought to protect against infection while they were treating patients infected with the plague. It is believed that some doctors also carried a cane which they used to point at things rather than touch them. This is because it was believed at the time that buboes (large swellings on the skin that are characteristic of plague) could be passed on through touch and so doctors would use long-