Doctor Schnabel's Plague Museum

07/10/2026

Forget the rats

02/07/2026

Some remarks on the degree of realism of plague doctor images in relation to historical reality.

Sense and nonsense about historical plague doctors

14/05/2026

Plague doctors - fact and fiction
In terms of reach, we cannot compete with the AI-generated fungus of fake history. Still, we present this diagram of the plague doctor costume based on what written sources tell us.
From the sixteenth century onward, outer garments made of smooth fabric were recommended and sometimes even required — not only for doctors, but also for people transporting the sick, priests, notaries, law enforcers, porters, and disinfectors. Gloves were sometimes mandatory, though notably not by doctors, since they needed to feel their patients’ pulse.
Nothing is known about canes being used to give directions. However, plague workers, family members of (suspected) plague victims and convalescents were often required to carry a white or red stick as a warning sign.
The hats worn by plague workers were probably no different from the hats they normally wore.
The bird mask is known only from a series of prints that all trace back to the same original example. That print specifically depicts doctors in Rome in the year 1656. Official regulations from the time describe how real doctors actually dressed, and a mask was not part of their equipment. The print is a satire.
Protective goggles and even face coverings did occasionally exist — especially in seventeenth-century Italy — but both were extremely rare.

25/12/2025

Happy Holidays from the Plague Museum

10/12/2025

About Paulus Fürst's iconic plague doctor print

Herbert J. Mattie The Raven Gepost op november 20, 2025 by Herbert J. Mattie “He Seeks Cadavers To Devour“ A devil, a thief, a scavenger, a bringer of disease. So would a doctor disguise as a raven to protect himself against the plague? If we are to believe the prints that depict this curious pl...