the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin

Today I will tell you about

One of the most recognizable symbols of the Black Death
– the plague doctor mask.
This authentic 16th-century plague doctor mask has been
preserved over the years and is currently displaying at the
Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.⁣This was the
first design of the Plague Doctor’s mask. In medieval
Europe, there were two main theories of how diseases
were spread and contracted: the Four Humors theory, and
the Miasma theory. This mask was designed to struggle
with the Miasma theory believed that people got sick from
“bad air”. So long nose was designed to do was the
wearers would put pleasant-smelling herbs and light then
on fire to prevent Miasma from being inhaled by the
wearer by “cleansing” the “bad air”.
 But, in order to feel the atmosphere that was
going on in Europe, we must travel back in time.
And we will not start from the Genoese, where
plague was reportedly first introduced, we’ll
start from Italy, Venice.
Soon, you will understand - why
 POVEGLIA IS
▪ a small island located between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, of
northern Italy.
▪ It seems really beautiful and peaceful place, until you learn its history…

▪ The island contains one or more plague pits. An estimate published by National
Geographic suggest that over 100,000 people died on the island over the
centuries and were buried in plague pits. Another source, Atlas Obscura, provides an
estimate of 160,000 people.
▪ Venice's Poveglia Island was a quarantine center and mass grave for victims
of bubonic plague, earning it the nickname the "Island of Ghosts”
IN THE VENETIAN LAGOON
1. Sits Poveglia Island, a small, unpopulated
landmass cut down the middle by a canal. For
all its unassuming appearance, however, it
has a dark history and is said to be one of the
most haunted places in Europe, a continent
saturated with tales of ghosts and the
paranormal.
2. Many of those ghosts came courtesy of the
Black Death, which swept through Europe in
the 14th century, killing off millions of people
and cutting the entire population of some
cities in half in a matter of months or even
weeks. And the bubonic plague didn’t stop
after the famous outbreak of 1348. Instead, it
reappeared again and again for centuries.
3.
1. In addition to quarantining plague victims on Poveglia, the island also became a
gigantic mass grave for the corpses of the dead. Barges from Venice hauled the
dead to the island, while smaller ships brought exiles from the city who showed
even the mildest symptoms of plague.
2. On Poveglia Island, plague victims spent forty days waiting to see if they would
die or recover. Most died. The Venetians cremated untold thousands of bodies
on Poveglia, leaving the ashy remains of plague victims to fall where they may.
3. The island itself consists of two main parts and is connected by a bridge. On one
side of the island there was a hospital where they tried to cure the patients,
and on the other they transferred the patients who could not be helped, they died
and their bodies were burned in the crematorium. Some were even burned alive.
That's why there are legends that to this day, 50% of Poveglia's soil is ash
Some photos of Poveglia
 Let's go back to the Plague doc
1. Plague doctors had a mixed reputation, with some
citizens seeing their presence as a warning to
leave the area or that death was near. Some
plague doctors were said to charge patients and
their families additional fees for special treatments
or false cures. In many cases these doctors were
not experienced physicians or surgeons, instead
being volunteers, second-rate doctors, or young
doctors just starting a career. In one case, a
plague doctor was a fruit salesman before his
employment as a physician. Plague doctors rarely
cured patients, instead serving to record death
tolls and the number of infected people for
demographic purposes.[
▪ Plague doctors practiced bloodletting and other remedies such as
putting frogs or leeches on the buboes to "rebalance the humors. A plague
doctor's principal task, besides treating people with the plague, was to compile
public records of plague deaths.
▪ In certain European cities like Florence and Perugia, plague doctors were
requested to do autopsies to help determine the cause of death and how the
plague affected the people. Plague doctors also sometimes took patients’
last will and testament during times of plague epidemics, and gave advice to
their patients about their conduct before death This advice varied depending
on the patient, and after the Middle Ages, the nature of the relationship
between doctor and patient was governed by an increasingly complex ethical
code.
▪ Some plague doctors wore a special costume consisting of an ankle-length overcoat and
a bird-like beak mask, often filled with sweet or strong-smelling substances
(commonly lavender), along with gloves(ხელთათმანები), boots, a wide-brimmed
hat(ფართოფარბლებიანი ქუდი), a linen hood(თეთრეული), and an outer over-clothing
garment. However, the costume was not worn by all medieval and early modern
physicians studying and treating plague patients. The exact origins of the costume are
unclear, however have been dated back to Italy and France. Most depictions come from
satirical writings and political cartoons
▪ Reprimands
▪ In 1527, in the city of Prato, a plague doctor named Stefano Mezzettino was seen
attending to other patients without a custodian(მეურვე). The rule in the plague doctor
contract was that a custodian must always be with the plague doctor when he visits other
patients. This created much danger for the public. He was fined for his illegal act and
breaking the rule of the plague doctor contract.
This mask tells us a story that still scares many
people. It is related to the great pain that
the world went through in the 14th century. It
left a big mark on history that will always be
remembered by everyone
I don’t think so, ‘cause it’s obviously
painful topic
But I could not avoid these events and in
my opinion, it’s a story that we all must
know...
 At the presentation worked

Yusupova Mary
Thank you for your attention!