Plague Doctor

This gloomy personage was a common figure in medieval towns during the time of the plague epidemic. At the outbreak of the epidemic, plague doctors - specially trained and equipped - were sent to towns to treat the afflicted, identifying which town dwellers were infected and which were healthy. For this purpose the plague doctor carried several implements such as the thick leather bound medical treatise that can be seen on the figure’s hips. He would also have used a sharp harpoon to ascertain the living from the dead, and carrying a cresset in his hand he would burn deserted houses. His mask with crystal eye sockets was a prototype of the modern gas mask. The long beak is filled with aromatic herbs and incense to protect the doctor from infected air.

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