MEDIEVAL doctors wore sinister-looking masks due to the belief that noxious vapours, called miasmas, were the
cause of fevers.
Malaria, which means bad air in ItLian, was long believed to stem from fumes from the swampy lands where it
was endemic. We know it is a parasite infection spread by mosquitos.
From the Middle Ages, many measures taken against plague throughout Europe and the Middle East were designed
to purify the air. People left their windows open to let in cool air and shut them against warm air; they burned
scented woods and incense to cleanse the air; and carried posies of scented flowers or pungent plants, such as
opinion or garlic.
Plague doctors wore 18"-long, beaked masks, with two small vent holes, the beak was filled with strong-smelling
herbs-such as ambergris, mint, balsam, myrrh, laudanum, rose petals, camphor and cloves-to protect them from
miasma and the smell of rotting flesh.
Plague doctors also carried a wooden cane, which they used to examine patients with out having to touch them.
Some patients who thought the Black Death was a punishment from God asked their doctor to whip them with the cane to atone for their sins.
In 1619, French doctor Charles de L'Ormein designed a protective
outfit of a leather hat, hood, gown, trousers, gloves and boots coated with wax.
Dailymail 24 Oct 2018
By Charles Legge