The Plague Doctor Spiral Notebook – Ruled Line

This spiral notebook features a coloured copper engraving of Dr. Schnabel (trans. Dr. Beak), a plague doctor in seventeenth-century Rome, published by Paul Fürst, ca.1656.

Plague doctors were real. During the outbreaks of bubonic plague that ravaged western Europe in the seventeenth century, plague doctors took to wearing this very bizarre-looking outfit to protect them from the ‘bad air’ that they believed carried the disease. It normally consisted of a full-body leather or waxed canvas garment, large crystal glasses, and a large beak containing aromatic spices or dried flowers. These strong smells were meant to block the ‘bad air’.

These doctors also often carried a wand. The wand was used in issuing commands such as ‘take a urine bath’ and as a point of contact between the plague doctor and the patient. It acted as a social distancing tool.