The character depicted here is known as Doctor Beak of Rome, and is an engraving by Paul Furst from 1656. Plague Doctors sometimes wore beak like masks which were filled with aromatic material such as camphor, garlic, mint, or a sponge of vinegar. The belief was that these would protect the wearer from infectious elements in the air. The Black Death decimated the population of Europe in the seventeenth century, and in Britain may have killed an estimated one third of the population
Further information and unsettling pictures under the tea towel entry!
Further information and unsettling pictures under the tea towel entry!
