Doctor Dress Up

Every part of the plague doctor's uniform was important, both for protecting the doctor from the plague and for letting people know that they were the ones who would put their livers on the line for the people during this crisis.

• The leather hat was worn primarily to let people know that the person in question was a doctor but was also used to protect the head.
• Their full-length gown was made of heavy material and coated in wax to protect the body (under the gown, doctors would wear simple leather breeches).
• Leather gloves protected their hands from contact with diseased patients.
• Full-length leather boots protected their feet
• Plague doctors carried sticks or staffs to fend off people who came too close to them
• Then, of course, there was the mask with its glass eyes which protected the doctors face.

Source: http://www.historyonthenet.com/Stuarts/plague_doctor.htm
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Beak_Doctor.jpg