To learn more about Commedia dell’Arte, see Pierre Louis Duchartre, The Italian Comedy (Dover Pubs., 1966). The beak was stuffed with spices to “purify” the air that the doctor breathed, because it was widely and erroneously believed that the plague was spread through the air. Their outfit consisted of a wide brimmed hat to show that the man was a doctor, leather gloves and boots, a body-length linen gown covered in wax, and beaked mask with glass lenses to protect the face. Masked actors had to compensate for their inability to convey facial emotion through posture, gesture, and vocal nuance.ĭuring the period of the Black Death in Europe, doctors visited plague victims to verify whether they have been afflicted and to offer treatment. Treatments then ranged from the bizarre to the truly horrific. The Commedia‘s ability to stay topical and its frequent resort to vulgar humor, combined with the considerable talent of Italian troupes that traveled throughout Europe, made this form of theater extremely popular throughout the early 17th to late 19th centuries. Plague doctors were largely unqualified, so they had less medical knowledge than real physicians who themselves subscribed to incorrect scientific theories. A mysterious plague had outbroken, and natural disasters wrought the Earth. Hoarse and frenzied whispers lingered high above the heavens, and an indescribable ancient giant lurked in the shadows of the bottomless ocean. However, the Commedia differed in having only a very basic plot sketch, with most of the lines invented extemporaneously by the actors. The once-bustling and noisy streets were now filled with an eerie blanket of silence. Like classical theater, Commedia performers wore leather masks to represent stock characters and often performed in amphitheaters to large audiences. The Commedia dell’Arte was a form of public entertainment that succeeded the classical Roman theater in Italy. OTHER MATERIALS: glass lenses acrylic paint brass buckles brass O-rings Since those terrible and scary days, a long time ago, in a town far far away, they say things are better now.MAKER: Lara Milanova (London, England, 1971- ) So we invite you to add the good doctor to your OHM Steampunk collection and feel extra thankful for your own good health and the skin you’re in. That beak-like mask may be creepy but we think our OHM Plague Doctor bead is rather adorable in their own eerie way. Most doctors believed that the pandemics were caused by “bad air” or due to the alignment of the planets. Possibly a chopped snake and onions as a salve was needed. Plague doctors practiced bloodletting and other remedies such as leeches or frogs on the patient’s body. The doctor’s garments consisted of a light, waxed fabric carefully sealed against the disease, and often carried a cane to examine patients without making direct contact. The Plague Doctor wasn’t expected to live through the outbreak. The mask is fitted with glass eye openings and stuffed with rose petals, mint, juniper berries, camphor, cloves, myrrh, and other spices. When plague struck a town, these physicians were hired by the city to treat everyone - both rich and poor alike - however, there wasn’t much they could do to cure their patients.Ī beaked mask filled with aromatic items is worn to protect from the putrid air and further infection. 14 hours ago &0183 &32 The Plague Doctor is one of the first and most powerful heroes in Darkest Dungeon 2 with abilities that can hold up for the entire game. Who is behind the mask? OHM’s PLAGUE DOCTOR is a medical physician who treated victims of the bubonic plague from the 14th-19th centuries. Persisting despite our best efforts we are still fragile beings.
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