The beaked mask wasn’t just for show—it was packed with herbs to ward off “bad air.” Underneath it? One of the most haunting ...

I cover the history of science and exploration. Plague ... covered the doctor from head to toe, and beneath the gown they wore leather leggings, boots, and gloves. The beak-like mask, which ...

But stuffed with strong-smelling substances—ambergris, mint, rose petals—the plague doctor's mask actually embodies ... Silver has a long history of medical use, since the metal is toxic ...

In the 17th century, people believed these outfits could purify poisonous air. They were wrong. During the 17th-century European plague, physicians wore beaked masks, leather gloves, and long ...

The Plague Doctor’s eerie beak mask was designed to protect against ... Discover the medically obsolete Miasma theory and the haunting history of the Plague Doctor. Trump has handed Brexit ...

The Bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, ravaged Europe for centuries, claiming millions of lives. Believing the plague spread through miasma, or bad air, doctors wore elaborate costumes ...

A 1619 outbreak of plague in France, rooted largely in Paris, led to the first medical mask. As the disease killed some 80 percent of those it afflicted, French doctor Charles De Lorme invented an ...

The Black Death is probably the most famous pandemic in history ... It’s 1645, and the plague that is ravaging Europe has arrived in Scotland. George Rae, a plague doctor, is standing Leith ...