Plague doctors filled their masks with theriac, a compound of more than 55 herbs and other components like viper flesh powder, cinnamon, myrrh, and honey.

While the plague doctors of the 17th century certainly had a scary getup, de Lorme’s miasma-inspired leather overcoat and bird mask didn’t prevent anyone from contracting the plague.

Why Plague Doctors Wore Strange Masks. It’s the beak that lends the attire of the medieval plague doctor its surreal quality, but it wasn’t there just to scare.

So when Mark Heap appeared on stage beneath the hooded beaked mask of the plague doctor, ... when the theatres in London were closed to stop the plague spreading. It seemed quite funny at the time.

The facemask through the centuries 04:41. Mark Honigsbaum, a medical historian and author of books like "The Pandemic Century," knows from face masks, going back to their first known medical use ...

Although plague doctors are thought to have been around in Europe from the 14th century, the harrowing, beaked uniform originated at some point in the 17th century, ...