![]() ![]() ![]() The image of the Plague Doctor has become popular in comic books, video games, and as a popular costume during the annual Carnivale di Venezia – a street festival known for people’s elaborate masks celebrating the end of lent. The Plague Doctor uniform provided a physical barrier between the patient and the doctor, as well as serving as an image made for horror movies. The doctor would additionally wear a wide brimmed hat and gloves made of the same materials, a beaked leather mask, and would carry a long stick. The costume worn by the Plague Doctor was designed by Charles de Lorme and described in Jean Jacques Magnet’s 1721 Traité de la peste (Treatise on the Plague) as a uniform consisting of a heavy goat skin coat overlaying a leather shirt tucked into breeches, which in turn was tucked into leather boots. ![]() But in many ways, the protective uniform worn by these doctors seems similar to what current medical professionals wear when treating those with infectious diseases. “The Plague Doctor” uniform was quite useless in assisting to protect against the disease, which killed an estimated 200 million people worldwide. In reality, the bubonic plague was actually spread when infected fleas from small animals entered into the human system by a flea bite. The bubonic plague ravaged across Europe and Asia through the 14th to 17th centuries, with the prevailing theory was that it was caused by the miasmic theory of “malignant air”. “But in many ways, the protective uniform worn by these doctors seems similar to what current medical professionals wear when treating those with infectious diseases.”Īt the time when doctors believed that miasmic fumes were responsible for the transfer illnesses, rather than germ theory, medical professionals developed elaborate outfits to protect against the believed noxious air. ![]()
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