![]() ![]() Not surprisingly, many a dishonest doc took advantage of bereaved families, holding out false hope for cures and charging extra fees (even though they were supposed to be paid by the government and not their patients). ![]() Plague doctors were sometimes requested to take part in autopsies, and were often called upon to testify and witness wills and other important documents for the dead and dying. History writes of Plague Doctors living lonely lives in isolation, but who really knows, since many of them just up and disappeared after the plagues, never to be heard from again. These doctors were not allowed to mingle with the general public (much like the political and Hollywood elite, today), and were said to self-quarantine for long periods of time after treating patients. Most did a lot more counting than curing, keeping track of the number of casualties and recorded the deaths in log books. ![]() The plague doctors’ duties were far more actuarial than medical. History tells a story that plague victims’ bodies piled up quickly, were carted away, and unceremoniously dumped into mass graves. The sole purpose of the Plague doctor was to treat plague patients, even if the cause was as elusive as the cure. The Plague Doctors were the well-educated, well-connected, well-known and wealthy men from rich families, even if they were terrible healers. However, to everyone else, the beaked mask and coverings were a sign of death, the Grim Reaper in the flesh. Since the 16th century, this menacing-looking mask has been a fashion statement of Plague Doctors who used it to filter their air stream while treating victims of plague and burying the dead. ![]()
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