not-a-space-alien:

not-a-space-alien:

My favorite part of the plague doctor outfit is the walking stick because it was mostly used to examine patients without touching them but apparently it was also used to keep people a respectable distance from the doctor.

Someone sick with bubonic plague: doctor please I’m–

Some goth harbinger of death crow-looking dude: get the fuck away from me *slaps him with a stick*

Apparently plague doctors would also sometimes offer it to patients to use for self-flagellation in the hopes that God would forgive them and take away their plague

Someone sick with bubonic plague: doctor….please ….

Goth harbinger of death crow-looking dude: *holding out walking stick* I prescribe you 50cc’s of go beat the shit out of yourself