Retrospectacle: A Neuroscience Blog
Kinda looks like the high school band teacher from hell…— merlinSince the cause of the Plague was still believed to be ‘bad air,’ the hat’s “beak” was stuffed with aromatic herbs and spices which were thought to purify the air the doctor breathed. Aromatic air was thought to be antiseptic air, and the scent covered the malodor of rot and death. The hat also offered eye protection in the form of crystal eye-pieces. The doctor would sometimes place garlic in the beak and directly in his mouth.
