Their robes, leggings, hats, and gloves were also made of Morocco leather. The costume forms the frontispiece of Manget's 1721 work. The Genevan physician, Jean-Jacques Manget, in his 1721 work Treatise on the Plague written just after the Great Plague of Marseille, describes the costume worn by plague doctors at Nijmegen in 1636–1637. De Lorme wrote that the mask had a "nose half a foot long, shaped like a beak, filled with perfume with only two holes, one on each side near the nostrils, but that can suffice to breathe and to carry along with the air one breathes the impression of the drugs enclosed further along in the beak." However, recent research has revealed that strong caveats must be applied with regard to De Lorme's assertions. The garment was impregnated with similar fragrant items as the mask. The garments were first mentioned by a physician to King Louis XIII of France, Charles de Lorme, who wrote in a 1619 plague outbreak in Paris that he developed an outfit made of Moroccan goat leather, including boots, breeches, a long coat, hat, and gloves modeled after a soldier's canvas gown which went from the neck to the ankle. Often, these plague doctors were the last thing a patient would see before death therefore, the doctors were seen as a foreboding of death. Depictions of the beaked plague doctor rose in response to superstition and fear about the unknown source of the plague. The beaked plague doctor inspired costumes in Italian theatre as a symbol of general horror and death, though some historians insist that the plague doctor was originally fictional and inspired the real plague doctors later. An early reference to plague doctors wearing masks is in 1373 when Johannes Jacobi recommends their use but he offers no physical description of them. The exact origins of the costume are unclear, as most depictions come from satirical writings and political cartoons. The canes were also used to keep people away and to remove clothing from plague victims without having to touch them. Doctors used wooden canes in order to point out areas needing attention and to examine patients without touching them. The wide-brimmed leather hat indicated their profession. The garments covered the body, shielding against splattered blood, lymph, and cough droplets, and the waxed robe prevented fleas (the true carriers of the plague) from touching the body or clinging to the linen. Though these particular theories about the plague's nature were incorrect, it is likely that the costume actually did afford the wearer some protection. Doctors believed the herbs would counter the "evil" smells of the plague and prevent them from becoming infected. This was thought to be the principal cause of the disease. The smell taken with the most caution was known as miasma, a noxious form of "bad air". The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, such as the smell of decaying bodies. The beak could hold dried flowers (commonly roses and carnations), herbs (commonly lavender and peppermint), camphor, or a vinegar sponge, as well as juniper berry, ambergris, cloves, labdanum, myrrh, and storax. The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items. The typical mask had glass openings for 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 costume consists of a leather hat, mask with glass eyes and a beak, stick to remove clothes of a plague victim, gloves, waxed linen robe, and boots. Description Plague doctor outfit from Germany (17th century) However, the costume was mostly worn by late Renaissance and early modern physicians studying and treating plague patients. It is often seen as a symbol of death and disease. The clothing worn by plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases during outbreaks of bubonic plague in Europe. His nose-case is filled with herbal material to keep off the plague. 1656, of a plague doctor of Marseilles (introduced as 'Dr Beak of Rome'). Clothing worn by plague doctors that was intended to protect them from infection Paul Fürst, engraving, c.
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