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Was the plague doctor real9/8/2023 ![]() His reputation as a good practitioner grew rapidly in the capital and, thanks to his father's connections, Charles became the personal physician to several members of the Medici. Soon after, he moved to Paris to practise medicine under the mentorship of his father. Charles followed in his father's footsteps and, in 1607, he graduated from the University of Montpellier at the age of 23. The outfit also consisted of gloves, boots, and a hat, which was made of waxed leather.Ī Physician Wearing a Plague Preventive Costume in Marseille, 1720īut who was Charles Delorme, apart from the inventor of the plague preventive costume?Ĭharles was the son of Jacques Delorme, a professor at the University of Montpellier who had great connections among the nobility. He created the 'plague preventive costume', which consisted of a long overclothing garment (Moroccan), which went from the neck all the way down to the ankle, the idea being that the air could not penetrate it. In 1619, the bubonic plague erupted in Paris, and an experienced French physician named Charles Delorme was about to have an idea. However, in the midst of the chaos, a man came up with a new invention, one that would possibly help protect the physicians treating patients who'd contracted the plague. All anyone could do was remove the corpses to prevent the virus from spreading further and killing even more people.įor doctors – or physicians as they were called during the early modern period – this situation was unbearable. Schnabel” at various Dutch reenactment events.A Terrified Man Realising He Has Just Contracted the Plague, Surrounded by a Group of PeopleĮdward Matthew Ward (1816–1879) Wellcome CollectionĪs the death toll continued to rise, no remedy was found against the disease. It can be given a couple of times a day, beside our normal activities. The sketch is short and entertaining, telling about the various forms of plague, causes and proposed solutions. So it can be put on and off fairly quick. A costume and a couple of accessories (body chart, walking stick, skull and a plush rat) that fit in a small space. A couple of weeks ago (right before the Baburen event) the costume was ready to be tested.Īn advantage of this ‘plague doctor’ character is that we can take it along quite easily. To incorporate this into our reenactment, the idea came up to make a costume and write a sketch around it. When you saw one of these ‘birds of death’ at your bed, you could be sure that your chances of survival were slim at best. The beak was filled with scented herbs and spices. A heavy waxed coat and a mask with a beak and glass eyes. In the 17th century one of these doctors came up with a method to protect himself against miasma, the foul air that was supposed to be a cause. But experimented a lot, from steaming in mercury to ointments made with faeces. These doctors didn’t know real cures for the disease. Beside treating people they recorded the number of deaths due to the plague. Often these people weren’t real doctors, but people who were paid to take the risk of dealing with the sick. The cities hired special “plague doctors” to treat the victims of the black death. ![]() Balancing the four humors, astrology, miasma etc. Medical knowledge was limited at best, and largely based on the ideas of the ancient Greek and Roman writers. ![]() Subsequently killing one fourth to half of the population. The various outbreaks changed the course of history. One of the most influential pandemics in the middle ages. Since long I wanted to do something with the plague.
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