A lot has happened to the plague doctor since Chinese rats hitchhiked with exotic trade goods to Europe in the 14th century. The beak - which long contained oils, herbs and rose petals - is now filled with organic black tea from the fabled Yunnan province in China. From occupying one of the most deadly professions in world history, the plague doctor now has a far more rewarding role in life.
With rats from China
It was probably a flea-infested gang of rats that brought the bubonic plague to Europe. They are believed to have been stowaways on the camel caravans carrying trade goods from China. The worst plague epidemic in history, the Black Death, was an unintended part of the trade as exotic goods such as spices, silk and gold were transported along the fabled Silk Road. At the center of the thankless job of fighting the epidemic, which reduced the world's population by 150 million in about 50 years, was the plague doctor.
There was little the plague doctor could do about the bubonic plague. They were far better at counting dead bodies than curing, and were often tasked with logging deaths. The plague doctor's main function was to act as a witness in connection with wills and other important documents relating to plague victims. The risks associated with the job, combined with the desperate mood that prevailed in Europe, made plague doctors sought after and highly paid. They were usually hired by the authorities in countries or cities, and were therefore just as likely to visit the poor as the rich. Nevertheless, many took the opportunity to demand money directly from the families of the infected. The other side of the coin was the almost inevitable fate of the plague doctor, who was himself a victim of the plague.
"There was little the plague doctor could do about the bubonic plague. They were far better at counting dead bodies than curing, and were often tasked with logging deaths."
Counterproductive
Although the plague doctor played a role as early as the Black Death in the 14th century, it was several hundred years before the mythical costume saw the light of day. It was the French doctor Charles de l'Orme (1584-1678) who breathed life into the costume, which has since become a source of inspiration for numerous authors, storytellers and filmmakers. Intended to protect himself from the stricken plague victims he visited, the morbid appearance came about as a result of the cruel and deadly nature of the plague epidemics. Although the costume is thought to have been counterproductive, spreading infection rather than protecting, it worked satisfactorily for l'Orme who lived to the age of 96. For a doctor in plague-ridden 17th century France, this was quite an achievement.
"It was the French doctor Charles de l'Orme (1584-1678) who breathed life into the costume that has since become a source of inspiration for a wide range of writers, storytellers and filmmakers."
The costume from hat to leather boots
The postdoc wore a wide-brimmed black hat pulled tightly down over his head. The beaked mask was hollow and filled with heavily scented oils, spices and rose petals to mask the smell of death and unburied corpses. In the mask's large, soulless eye openings, red pieces of glass were placed to keep evil out. On his body, the plague doctor wore a full-coverage black suit covered in thick wax. Under the coat, leather breeches were attached to high leather boots to protect the groin, which was often the first area of the body to be attacked.
When the plague doctor adorns our Black Tea today, it is wrapped in several layers of symbolic value. The black tea inside is a Chinese import with the opposite meaning of the bubonic plague of the 14th century. While the original plague doctor's curved beak contained oils, herbs and rose petals, our version is filled exclusively with pure black tea with hints of golden shoots. Today, the Dark Ages are only a distant memory for the plague doctor, who has been given a far more pleasant task in life: To fill as many cups as he can with top-quality organic black tea.
"Today, the Dark Ages remain only a distant memory for the plague doctor"
