The Bubonic Plague evolved in or near China about 2,600 years ago.
But in 1346, it had started a pandemic in Europe that would soon spread like a starving wildfire.
Above, you see a painting depicting a Plague Doctor.
This called for the now infamous “Plague Doctors”. These Doctors would dress in ankle-length overcoats and their iconic beaks which usually contained herbs, flowers, and/or Lavender to fend off “evil” smells, and to mask the smell of the rotting corpses they worked with. They’d wear gloves, wide-brimmed hats, boots, linen hoods, and outerwear (i.e. over-clothing garments).
Not all physicians wore such a costume back then, but a lot of them did because this costume was a rather effective way to stop the disease from spreading to them. It is now known as one of the earliest forms of a “hazmat suit”.
Above, you see a Plague Nurse costume in what I surmise to be a Museum.
As for “Plague Nurses”, I couldn’t find much information on them. I don’t even know if they truly existed back then. I can’t even confirm the source of the picture above, I don’t know if it came from a real, credible Museum or not.
But from what I’ve read, the duties of a Plague Nurse were assisting the Plague Doctor in examining the corpses of the diseased. Again, take this with a grain of salt because I haven’t found any truly reliable sources.
Above, you see a Plague Doctor costume in what I surmise to be another Museum.
I found some notable Plague Doctors including:
Niall O Glacain, an Irish Physician who earned deep respect throughout Italy, France, and Spain for his bravery and unwavering courage to treat those who were sick.
John Paulitious, Edinburgh’s first Plague Doctor, remembered for his courage to step up and be the first to respond in Edinburgh.
And even Nostradamus; he wasn’t an official Plague Doctor but he did make valiant efforts to suggest the removal of infected corpses and gave advice to others, telling them to drink clean water and get fresh air.
Above, you see various “Plague Doctor Memes”.
Sadly, nowadays, Plague Doctors have been reduced to nothing but memes and plushies.
Above, you see The Mysterious Doctor Plague and his Nurse, which are plushies made by Squishable, (I do not own these photos, the plushies, or the company Squishable).
Even modern Doctors have forgotten all about these influential figures, whose accomplishments paved the way for modern practitioners to do what they do now. If it wasn’t for Plague Doctors, modern Doctors wouldn’t know what they know in modern times.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I’ll be back soon enough!
(I do not own any of the photos, companies, etc. mentioned above. All rights reserved to each individual entity that owns these pieces of media.)