This Authentic 16th Century Plague Doctor Mask
This authentic 16th century plague doctor
mask has been preserved over the years and is currently on display at the German Museum of Medical History in Ingolstadt.
This was the first design of the Plague Doctor’s mask. During medieval Europe, there were two main theories of how diseases were spread and contracted: the Four Humors theory, and the Miasma theory.
This mask was designed to fight against the Miasma theory. This theory of disease believed that people got sick from “bad air”, and so what this mask’s long nose was designed to do was the wearers would put pleasant smelling herbs and light then on fire to prevent Miasma from being inhaled by the wearer by “cleansing” the “bad air”.
The mask had glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like a bird’s beak with straps that held the beak in front of the doctor’s nose. The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items.
The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor, or a vinegar sponge. The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, known as miasma, which were thought to be the principal cause of the disease, before it was disproved by germ theory.
Doctors believed the herbs would counter the “evil” smells of the plague and prevent them from becoming infected.
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