Plague Doctor Tattoo Meaning with 25+ Designs

Plague doctors are well-known. They took care of those who had been sick. The plague doctors have taken every precaution necessary when dealing with a plague. That includes the mask, coat, and hat. Some plague doctors even wore a hat to protect themselves further from the plague. With that said, other doctors would carry around a cane so they did not have to touch those who were infected by the plague.

With that said, why do people get this tattoo? What is the history of the plague doctor? We will talk about everything you need to know in this article. This article will leave you with no questions about the history and meaning of the tattoo.

What is the History of the Plague Doctors?

A plague doctor would treat those diagnosed with bubonic plague. These were special doctors that were hired by cities and towns during the pandemic. These doctors would treat both the poor and rich. This was because the people were not paying these doctors. The city would pay them.

However, some plague doctors would extort families. They would make them pay additional money for the services performed. Remember, these were not specialty doctors. In fact, some of them did not even have any professional training. The hired doctors were often ones who could not get their own business or that were not as good as other physicians. Sometimes, the hired doctors were those who were trying to get experience in the medical field. Keep in mind that these doctors could never cure patients. The doctors were there to count those who would pass away.

The doctors were known as community-plague doctors. They would only treat those who had symptoms of the bubonic plague. Regular practitioners would continue their practice as they normally would. These doctors had their expertise, and plague doctors were specifically for those who had the plague. These doctors did not have the experience needed to treat the plague. In fact, one doctor was brought in who used to sell fruit.

Why Did Plague Doctors Wear Masks?

Plague doctors wore masks. These had been created in the seventeenth century. These masks featured beaks. These beaks were particularly important. The mask was there to prevent any airborne pathogens from entering their body. The mask was shaped with the beak of a bird for one reason. This reason will be discussed in the next section.
Why Did Their Masks Resemble Birds?

These masks that the plague doctors used had a beak that resembled a bird. This mask was helpful to prevent doctors from getting sick while they were treating those with the bubonic plague. However, the beak of the mask is the most useful.

Doctors would put herbs in the beak. They would also utilize flowers and spices. These items would help protect the doctor. These herbs and flowers were stuffed in the beak to help make the air purer. This would allow the doctors to stay healthy while treating sick patients.

What Do Plague Doctors Symbolize?

Most people have found that the plague doctor symbolizes death. This is because they were around people dying every day. Their job was to do body counts more than take care of patients. Those who were hired to be plague doctors often were not even doctors at all.

Plague doctors were there to watch over people and count how many had died. That is why the city hired them. They knew these people had no medical expertise. However, they paid them to care for the sick.
What Does the Plague Doctor Tattoo Mean?

Most people who get this tattoo get it for the darkness and death meaning. The doctors date back to 1348. The doctors had worn these masks to stuff herbs into them. This was to protect them from the plague. Doctors believed that this would help stop the spread of the plague through the air. However, the plague was not spread through the air.

These tattoos are often done in a deep black color. This is to symbolize death or specifically Black Death. This is what people would call the bubonic plague. This plague killed enormous amounts of people. This left people feeling hopeless.

Why Do People Get the Plague Doctor Tattoo?

People often get this tattoo because it means death. It represents death. Those who are into horror movies or darkness may find this tattoo appealing. It is cool and unique. Plus, there are many variations of the plague doctor tattoo. However, most of them are the same concept. The mask and outfit are black.

If you do not like a traditional take on plague doctor tattoos, you could try a new school tattoo. This can make the item cute and not have such a dark meaning. With that said, most people stick to traditional plague doctor tattoos for their bold, unique, and dark style.

Most people will get just the mask tattooed on them. However, some people get the whole plague doctor on them. The plague doctor has a dark coat and even a hat. The hat may also be tattooed on a person. Doctors would wear a hat to protect them so they would not contract the plague.

Plague Doctor Tattoo Designs