3/24/2024 0 Comments Plague doctorSometimes they also served as witnesses while their patients drew up wills. In practice, the most useful thing most plague doctors could do was to keep records of the number of infections and deaths in their community. By the time the plague doctor appeared on your doorstep, you were already doomed, so a nominally helpful figure became an omen of death. The best a plague doctor could do was drain blood and lymph from the swollen buboes that gave the bubonic plague its name – but sometimes that only helped spread the infection. In theory, plague doctors were trying to ease suffering and maybe even save lives, but neither they nor their patients had any illusions plague was nearly always fatal. Sometimes they weren’t even doctors at all, just people who were willing to wade into the quarantine zone and do their best. Plague doctors were often newly-trained physicians or surgeons who needed to gain experience and make names for themselves, or else they were doctors who had trouble finding other work or keeping a practice running. Shocking, when medieval and Renaissance cities tried to hire doctors to do dangerous, depressing, highly stigmatized work that also put huge restrictions on how they lived, doctors weren’t exactly falling over each other to compete for the job. Plague doctor contracts were an effort to fix that problem. In 1348, when the plague first reached Italy, many communities found themselves without doctors, because they all died of the plague or ran away. And although they could treat plague patients if they wanted to, many preferred to avoid the risk – for good reason. For one thing, they ran their own practices, instead of having a contract with the local government. Those guys were not plague doctors, however. Results are not guaranteed.When the plague struck a city, it might already have a doctor or two, usually running a private practice in town. We won’t have any plague at the Renaissance Festival, but we do have a plague doctor, who will happily cure what ales you. However, it is clear that the plague doctors were doing their best to help their patients in a time of great uncertainty and danger. It’s worth noting that the effectiveness of the plague doctors’ methods has been questioned by modern medical experts, who argue that the herbs and spices in the masks would not have been effective in preventing the spread of the disease. Nevertheless, their work was important in the fight against the bubonic plague, and they played a significant role in the medical history of Elizabethan England. They would often be accompanied by “body collectors” who would help them remove the dead from homes and streets.ĭespite their efforts, the plague doctors were not always successful in preventing the spread of the disease, and many of them also succumbed to the illness themselves. They were responsible for identifying and isolating those who had been infected, as well as disposing of the bodies of those who had died from the disease. The role of the plague doctor was not just to treat the sick, but also to try to prevent the spread of the disease. The staff was also used to point out areas that needed to be disinfected or to lift clothing or bedding without touching them. The plague doctors were often seen carrying a staff, which was used to examine patients without touching them directly, as physical contact was thought to increase the risk of contracting the disease. The mask was designed to protect the doctor from the foul-smelling air that was thought to carry the disease. They also wore a mask with a beak-like protrusion that was filled with herbs, spices, and other aromatic substances, such as dried flowers, vinegar, or even a sponge soaked in vinegar. Plague doctors wore distinctive outfits that included a long, black coat made of waxed fabric or leather, gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat. However, it is important to note that the term “plague doctor” was not commonly used during the Elizabethan era, and the practitioners who fulfilled this role were often referred to as “pestilence doctors” or “searchers.” These were physicians who were tasked with treating those who had contracted the disease, but also with trying to prevent its spread. D uring the bubonic plague outbreaks in Elizabethan England, the role of the “plague doctor” emerged.
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