• Home
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Hosting
  • Newsletter
  • T-Shirt
  • Stickers
  • Tips
  • Contact

Laughing Squid

A daily dose of art, culture and technology.

The History of the Creepy Bird Beak Plague Masks

by Lori Dorn on February 18, 2021

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Reddit
  • Print

Bird Beak Plague Masks

In a peckish episode of the Today I Found Out (previously), host Simon Whistler explains why doctors of centuries past wore rather creepy looking masks that quite remarkably resembled a bird’s beak. As it turns out, this specific design was to keep the undesired fluids of a plague patient far away from the physician. Additionally, the beak was often stuffed with such fragrant herbs as camphor or lavender, so as to keep the odors of disease away. The beak was only part of a distinctive costume that doctors wore that also included a brimmed hat, flowing outer garment, gloves, boots, and a walking stick. Suffering patients could definitely see the doctor coming from far away.

It was not made to purposefully scare a patient but as a buffer zone around the nose filled with various things that contained pleasant aromas. Noteworthy here is that beyond the buffer created by the beak it was quite common that doctors were carrying rods to ensure a minimum distance from the patients or even to fend them off if they were getting a bit too close.

Doctor Bird Mask Costume


Related Posts



← Previous Post
Next Post →


Host your WordPress site on Managed WordPress at Laughing Squid Hosting.

Trending on Laughing Squid

  • Mars Rover Footage Compiled Into an Astonishing 4K Video That Reveals the Surface of the Planet
    Mars Rover Footage Compiled Into an Astonishing 4K Video That Reveals the Surface of the Planet
  • Dog Makes Graceful Exit Through Wooden Handrail After an Unexpected Slide Across a Slippery Porch
    Dog Makes Graceful Exit Through Wooden Handrail After an Unexpected Slide Across a Slippery Porch
  • 1969 Debut of 'Mah Na Mah Na' on Sesame Street
    1969 Debut of 'Mah Na Mah Na' on Sesame Street
  • Oddly Adorable Photos of Animals Without Necks
    Oddly Adorable Photos of Animals Without Necks
  • Stunning Footage of Sperm Whales Attempting to Communicate With Freedivers Using Clicking Noises
    Stunning Footage of Sperm Whales Attempting to Communicate With Freedivers Using Clicking Noises

Powered by Laughing Squid Hosting and WordPress VIP
Newsletter | Affiliate Disclosure | Privacy Policy
© 1995-2021 Laughing Squid LLC, all rights reserved