“Hey Cameron, do you have your Halloween costume picked out yet?”

Our nine-year-old grandson replied in the affirmative.

“What are you going to be?”

A doctor.

A Plague Doctor.

When I asked Cameron what Plague Doctors did, it was clear the appeal was that they wore “really cool masks.”

We were lucky enough to have the lad here for part of his fall break earlier this week, so I asked if he’d like to do some research.

“Sure, Goose. I like to learn things.”

Music to my ears! I presented the lad with a portfolio from his great-grandfather’s collection and we set to work. (He insisted on using a pencil to take notes, since pens are – you know – permanent.)

Here’s just some of what we learned:

• The Bubonic Plague began in the year 1347 and lasted about five years.
• Also known as the Black Death, it wiped out about a third of Europe’s population at the time.
• It took quite a while for the panic-stricken populace to figure out fleas carried (and spread) the plague.
• Plague Doctors donned the bird-like mask and long cloak when the disease flared up again in the late 1600s (“A-K-A the 17th century,” Cameron patiently explained to Gary that evening).
• The reason for that mask was to filter the “poison air” with a combination of 55 herbs, plus myrrh, honey and a few other smell-good items. We got really grossed out together, thinking of the sticky mess the inside of that beaked mask must have become!
• Cameron was dismayed to learn the Plague Doctors’ hat and gloves were made of goat skin. “Goats should run free!”
• The cloak was covered in wax. Although doctors didn’t know about germs and bacteria yet, they were on to something with the protection provided by this costume.
• An apology to Cam’s parental units for this next bit, since now he wants one: Plague Doctors also carried a long stick. Although it looks like a gentleman’s walking stick, it was sometimes used to beat off sick people. First, do no harm to yourself, apparently …

Happy Halloween to one and all! And even though your mask probably isn’t nearly as cool as Cameron’s, please continue to stay safe during this seemingly never-ending pandemic.

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