The Plague Doctor’s eerie beak mask was designed to protect against “evil” smells thought to cause disease. But the truth behind this creepy costume will shock you! Discover the medically ...

The original plague doctor masks, on the other hand, the ones worn by physicians, were fashioned from leather like the rest of the doctor's protective gear and had a much less ornamental appearance.

The plague doctor ensemble dates back to 17th-century Europe when physicians wore the mask filled with perfume in a mistaken belief the fumes would protect them.

A cosplayer wearing the long, black nose of a plague doctor poses with a woman in a face mask for a photo at the Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 5, 2020.

Another mask that has "gone viral" across social media is a plague doctor style one designed by Delores Gull. "At first I didn't know what 'viral' meant until my daughter was explaining it to me ...

A 1619 outbreak of plague in France, rooted largely in Paris, led to the first medical mask. As the disease killed some 80 percent of those it afflicted, French doctor Charles De Lorme invented an ...

The impenetrable clothing prevented the doctor from coming into contact with any contagious particles, and the tip of the mask's "beak" was filled with a mixture of herbs meant to purify the air the ...