A doctor's surgery in Taree houses a fascinating and creepy looking object that is now, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, of current interest - a decorated modern version of a plague doctor's mask.
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The mask was bought by Dr Simon Holliday on a trip to Venice six years ago. Plague doctor masks are now worn as part of a costume during the Carnival of Venice, but their origin comes from a dark and deadly time in history.
The plague doctors masks were worn, as the name suggests, by doctors who were treating victims of the plague.
There have been three major plague pandemics in Europe's history, the first occurring in the sixth century.
The second pandemic began in the medieval 1300s and reoccurred at various times until the 1800s. It was dubbed the Black Death and killed up to 60 per cent of Europe's population.
The third pandemic originated in China in the 1880s, and lasted until the 1960s. With the widespread use of antibiotics, plague is now controlled.
It is during the second pandemic that the plague doctor and his sinister looking attire came into being. The 'uniform' of the beaked mask and accompanying waxed black overcoat and hat, eye goggles and staff was invented in 1630.
The terrifying sight of the plague doctor came to be the presage of death for plague victims, a nightmare nobody wanted to see.
The mask was shaped like a beak for a purpose.
Aromatic herbs and flowers were stuffed into the beak to overcome the stench of putrefying bubonic plague victims and corpses. The herbs were also used to 'sanitise' the air, as it was believed at the time that miasma (fetid poisonous air) was the cause of the disease, and not bacteria carried by fleas, as we now know.
Do we need masks?
Thankfully our doctors and medical staff are not wearing such unwieldy and scary masks now as they treat patients and those suspected of being infected with COVID-19.
The need for masks now is, however, a hot topic of discussion - do we need them? Who should be wearing them? Are they effective at keeping us safe from infection?
There is no debate that our front line medical workers need masks to protect them from being infected with the virus.
As for the general public, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that masks can give a false sense of protection and can actually be a source of infection when not used correctly.
The WHO has the following recommendation for masks:
- If you are healthy only wear the mask if you are looking after somebody suspected of having the virus.
- Wear are a mask if you are coughing and sneezing.
- Masks are only effective if coupled with frequent handwashing and sanitising.
- Do not touch the mask while you are wearing it.
- If you are wearing a mask you must know how to wear it properly (cover nose and mouth with no gaps between the mask and the face) and and how to dispose of it properly (remove from behind and do not touch the front of the mask, discard in a closed bin, and wash/sanitise hands).
- Replace mask with a new one as soon as the one you are wearing becomes damp (and discard the damp mask).
- Clean your hands before putting on a mask.
Health NSW says that masks are not recommended for use by the general public. People who have symptoms should self isolate and wear masks when in the same room as someone else.
What about homemade masks?
Social media is being bombarded with pictures of people wearing masks out of fabric, using bandannas as masks, and instructions for making your own masks out of fabric. Are these effective?
The general consensus appears to be that homemade cloth masks aren't ideal. As per disposable masks, they quickly become damp, in which case they should no longer be used.
According to science website livescience.com the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that health care workers who have no other options available to them may use bandannas or scarves while treating patients.
However a press release from AAP on April 6 stated that the CDC is now recommending people wear cloth face coverings made from household items or low-cost common materials.
In response, Australian heath authorities are warning Australians against following America's lead and are advising Australians not to wear masks in public.
For information on when and how to wear masks go to www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks.
For all information or questions about the coronavirus, visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus-faqs.aspx.
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