Why Plague Doctors Wore Beaked Masks

The year is 1656. Your body is wracked by violent chills. Your head pounds and you’re too weak to sit up. In your feverish state, you see a strange-looking man wearing a beak-like mask, his body covered from head to toe. Without seeing his face, you know: you have the plague. So, where did these iconic outfits come from?

Explore the history of the European plague doctor, and find out where their iconic outfit of a beaked mask and robe came from.

[TED Ed]



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