In the times before the germ theory of disease, physicians believed that the plague spread through poisoned air that could create an imbalance in a person’s humors, or bodily fluids. ( Memories of the plague resonate in Venice during the coronavirus pandemic.)īut the forbidding ensemble was not just a deathly fashion statement: It was intended to protect the doctor from miasma. Though plague doctors across Europe wore these outfits, the look was so iconic in Italy that the 'plague doctor' became a staple of Italian commedia dell’arte and carnival celebrations-and is still a popular costume today. Their head gear was particularly unusual: Plague doctors wore spectacles, de Lorme continued, and a mask with 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 carry along with the air one breathes the impression of the enclosed further along in the beak.” Plague doctors also carried a rod that allowed them to poke (or fend off) victims.

He described an outfit that included a coat covered in scented wax, breeches connected to boots, a tucked-in shirt, and a hat and gloves made of goat leather. The costume is usually credited to Charles de Lorme, a physician who catered to the medical needs of many European royals during the 17th century, including King Louis XIII and Gaston d'Orléans, son of Marie de Médici.

Plague doctor plush