Group items tagged

The mask had glass openings for the eyes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird. Straps held the beak in front of the doctor's nose.[4] The mask had two small nose holes and was a type of respirator which contained aromatic items. [5] The beak could hold dried flowers (including roses and carnations), herbs (including mint), spices, camphor or a vinegar sponge.[6][7] The purpose of the mask was to keep away bad smells, which were thought to be the principal cause of the disease in the miasma theory of infection, before it was disproved by germ theory.[3][4] Doctors believed the herbs would counter the "evil" smells of the plague and prevent them from becoming infecte

The beak doctor costume worn by plague doctors had a wide brimmed leather hood to indicate their profession.[3][8] They used wooden canes to point out areas needing attention and to examine patients without touching them.[9] The canes were also used to keep people away,[10] to remove clothing from plague victims without having to touch them, and to take a patient's pulse.[3][11]

Between the College's advisory on August 25 and the death of Dr. Hutchinson from yellow fever on September 7, panic spread throughout the city; more people fled. Between August 1 and September 7, 456 people died in the city. On September 8, 42 deaths were reported.[18] An estimated 20,000 people left the city through September, including national leaders.[9] The daily death to

l remained above 30 until October 26. The worst 7-day period was between October 7 and 13, when 711 deaths were reported.[18]

During the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 5000 or more people were listed in the official register of deaths between August 1 and November 9. The vast majority of them died of yellow fever, making the epidemic in the city of 50,000 people one of the most severe in United States' history. By the end of September, 20,000 people had fled the city. The mortality rate peaked in October, before frost finally killed the mosquitoes and brought an end to the epidemic in November. Doctors tried a variety of treatments, but knew neither the origin of the fever nor that it was transmitted by mosquitoes (which was not verified until the late nineteenth century).