royalcaine:

loveweedsunshine:

most people don’t know that these masks where used by doctors during the bubonic plague. the plague sufferers smelled terrible and the doctors would wear these masks, not only as protection, but also to escape the terrible scent. the “beak” was put there so that they could stuff herbs in it.

The beak was actually used for stuffing rose peddles in it to mask the stink of burning corpses during the plague. The mask itself was designed to have an overall frightening appearance.