History
History Behind the Plague Doctor’s Costume
Why did the medieval doctors wear the beak-shaped mask?
Source-Wikipedia
The iconic costume of the plague doctors wearing a beak-shaped mask became prominent in the 17th century.
The superstitions of the doctors and the history of medicine in the middle ages led to the creation of this quirky costume with the beak-shaped mask.
History of medicine in the middle ages
In the middle ages, medicinal practices had an amalgamation of spiritual and antiquity influences. It was heavily inspired by the Greek tradition. The body was made up of four humors— yellow bile, phlegm, black bile, and blood. And, the planet was made up of four elements — earth, water, fire, and air. Any imbalance between the humors and elements could cause a disease.¹
It was believed that diseases like the black death, cholera were caused by noxious air (bad air) in the surroundings coined as the miasma theory. Thus herbal medicines, spices, and resins became a major part of medicines given by plague doctors to prevent the “evil” smells of the plague.
The miasma theory became obsolete once the germ theory came into the picture.
