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Plague doctors are cool.

Plague doctor picture

There is no denying that fact. Their long robes hide their bodies from sight, flat hats which give them a professional look while the canes they carry to probe their patients with give an air of authority.

But the main feature that is the mask.

Plague doctor mask

A long avian beak that looks like that of a raven is both a chilling and awe inspiring sight...

Too bad it is all just an aesthetic as they are filled with only nice smelling herbs and no actual filters. But what if that changed?

I'm wondering if there is a way to have the Plague Doctors' mask to be made into a functional design that is beyond just stuffing cotton and activated charcoal into the beak. Is there another possible design element which could require the beak-like design aside from intimidation? Can it filter all many of nasty's from the just as well as modern filters?

A few ground rules:

  • Modern to near future material science are to be considered.

  • No cheek respirator please. They were never that practical in the first place.

  • The beak doesn't need to be as large as the examples shown, it just needs to be 'beak-like' enough for people to think that the person wearing it looks like a bird.

Bonus points to anyone for making a combat-oriented Plague Mask. Plague doctor fighter drawing

Image source: https://bizarromuffins.tumblr.com/post/115236761272/eileen-the-crow

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    $\begingroup$ Actually, those masks along with the rest of the outfit, if it includes gloves, will provide 99%+ protection to Y. Pestis even if the mask "beak" is merely a layered herb and cloth filter. The plague bacterium itself cannot be airborne, but it is easily transmissible via coughed-out microdroplets. Which would be stopped fine by even just a multilayer cloth mask. The main means for Plague to spread is not through air or even skin contact, it requires bodily fluid contact, preferably blood contact. Usually facilitated by some handy fleas. $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 13:08
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    $\begingroup$ A combat-oriented plague mask isn't going to look much like a plague mask, I'm afraid. That long nose has gotta go, and there's not much left of the aesthetic after that. $\endgroup$
    – Starfish Prime
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 14:47
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    $\begingroup$ That said, there's this classic design: Mark VI Power Armour ;-) $\endgroup$
    – Starfish Prime
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 14:52
  • $\begingroup$ That sweet image has been copied so many times it was hard to find the original artwork. $\endgroup$
    – Willk
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 15:15
  • $\begingroup$ @Willk Thank you! This question was written before I went to bed so things like grammar and improper citrating would have slipped past me! $\endgroup$
    – Seraphim
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 19:37

2 Answers 2

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What's wrong with the current, state of the art gas masks?

A quick search in a search engine returns you products like these below

full head gas mask

gas mask with filter

where you just need to change the shape of the filter to be more of a cone and less of a cylinder, and the trick is done.

Since they are also used by the army, they are as combat oriented as you can get.

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  • $\begingroup$ Good point. The issue I can see is that you won't be able to put as much filler into a cone shaped filter. Or at least not as efficiently. $\endgroup$
    – Seraphim
    Commented Feb 16, 2021 at 19:44
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If peppermint was one of the 'herbs and spices', they might have been on to something.

Peppermint is a known natural antibacterial agent. In addition, it clears the sinuses, improves air flow, eases digestive upsets, relieves tension, improves energy, improves sleep, improves concentration, and smells nice.

It's medicinal properties were also well known at the time, so I am sure it most likely was one of the ingredients in the mask.

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