Plague Doctor
The eerie image of plague doctors, cloaked in long coats and distinctive beaked masks stuffed with aromatic herbs, comes from Europe’s dark history of pandemics. These doctors had limited medical knowledge and relied on superstitions, believing the herbs in their masks would protect them from “bad air” causing the plague. They treated victims by lancing buboes and performing bloodletting, though often with little success.
Their presence was both a sign of hope and dread, as many plague doctors succumbed to the disease themselves or unintentionally spread it. With advances in medical science and hygiene, the haunting figure of the plague doctor has become a relic of a terrifying time, more a symbol of fear than of healing.
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