Why did plague doctors wear bird masks?

Why did doctors during the Black Death wear 'beak masks'? Plague doctors wore a mask with a bird-like beak to protect them from being infected by the disease, which they believed was airborne. In fact, they thought disease was spread by miasma, a noxious form of 'bad air.' read more

Plague doctors wore a mask with a bird-like beak to protect them from being infected by the disease, which they believed was airborne. In fact, they thought disease was spread by miasma, a noxious form of ‘bad air.’ To battle this imaginary threat, the long beak was packed with sweet smells, such as dried flowers, herbs and spices. read more

The mask had glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird with straps that held the beak in front of the doctor's nose. The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items. read more

Because treatment methods didn’t work for the plague, or Black Death, a major part of the doctors’ job was to count the sick and the dead and help provide funeral arrangements. Of course, the most striking part of the costume were the birdlike masks, which featured glass eyeholes (mostly to protect against miasma) and a long curved and pointed beak filled with flowers, herbs, and other strong, pleasant smells. read more