Why plague doctors wore beaked masks

Prevodilac: Hana Vučković Lektor: Milenka Okuka

The year is 1656.

Godina je 1656.

Your body is wracked by violent chills.

Telo ti se trese od jake jeze.

Your head pounds, your muscles are too weak to sit up,

U glavi ti odzvanja, mišići su ti preslabi da bi seo

and you feel like rancid, hard-boiled eggs

i osećaš kao da smrdljiva, tvrdo kuvana jaja

are squeezing out of your neck and armpits.

polako izlaze iz tvog vrata i pazuha.

In your feverish state, you see a strange-looking man approach,

U svojoj groznici, vidiš čoveka čudnog izgleda kako prilazi

his face obscured by a beak-like mask, his body covered from head to toe.

lica sakrivenog maskom koja liči na kljun, tela prekrivenog od glave do pete.

He examines you and even without seeing his face,

Pregleda te, a iako mu ne vidiš lice

you know the diagnosis:

znaš dijagnozu:

you have the plague.

imaš kugu.

The plague stands out as one of the most terrifying and destructive diseases

Kuga je jedna od najstrašnijih i najdestruktivnijih bolesti

in human history.

koje poznaje ljudska istorija.

It swept across large parts of Afro- Eurasia in three separate pandemics

Proširila se na velike delove Afro-Evroazije u tri različite pandemije,

starting in the 6th, 14th, and 19th centuries;

koje su počele u VI, XIV i XIX veku,

killed tens of millions of people,

ubila je desetine miliona ljudi

and had— in the best of cases— about a 40% survival rate.

i imala - u najboljem slučaju - procenat preživelih oko 40%.

The European plague doctor, with his beaked mask and wizard-like robes,

Evropski doktor za kugu, sa svojom maskom u obliku kljuna i čarobnjačkim plaštom

is one of the images most popularly associated with plague today.

je danas jedna od slika koja se najčešće povezuje sa kugom.

He’s often found in books and films about the 14th century pandemic

Često se može naći u knjigama i filmovima o pandemiji iz XIV veka

known as the Black Death.

poznatoj kao Crna smrt.

The only problem is that’s about as accurate as placing

Jedini problem s tim je što je to otprilike jednako precizno

a modern surgeon at the court of Louis the 14th in Versailles.

kao staviti modernog hirurga na dvor Luja XIV u Versaju

The confusion is understandable though—

Ova konfuzija je razumljiva-

the Black Death had several aftershocks,

Crna smrt je izbila još nekoliko puta

including a series of devastating outbreaks in Western Europe

uključujući i seriju razornih izbijanja u Zapadnoj Evropi

during the 17th century.

u XVII veku.

This is when the iconic plague doctor actually emerged on the scene.

Tada se legendarni doktor za kugu zapravo i pojavio.

First described in the early 17th century,

Prvi put opisan u ranom XVII veku,

the outfit consisted of a hood with crystal eyepieces

nosio je odelo koje je sadržalo kapuljaču sa kristalnim sočivima

and a beak filled with a pungent combination of herbs and compounds.

i kljun punjen aromatičnom kombinacijom biljaka i različitih jedinjenja.

This could include cinnamon, pepper, turpentine,

Ona su mogla da ukjlučuju cimet, biber, terpentin,

roast copper, and powdered viper flesh.

pečeni bakar i zmijsko tkivo u prahu.

This recipe was inspired by the famed 2nd century Greco-Roman physician Galen,

Ovaj recept je inspirisan poznatim grčko-rimskim doktorom iz II veka, Galenom

and was thought to ward off poisoned air known as miasma.

i mislilo se da odbija otrovan vazduh znan kao mijazma,

People believed this bad air spread plague after emanating from swamps

Ljudi su verovali da ovaj loš vazduh širi kugu nakon što se proširi iz močvara

and sources of decay,

i mesta truljenja,

such as dead plants or animal carcasses.

kao što su mrtve biljke ili leševi životinja.

In earlier centuries, doctors across Europe carried metal pomanders

U ranijim vekovima, doktori širom Evrope nosili su metalne kugle

filled with similar mixtures,

pune sličnih mešavina,

and it’s possible that the beak evolved as a hands-free alternative.

i moguće je da je kljun nastao da ne bi morale da se koriste ruke.

The rest of the costume, which included an oiled leather robe, boots and gloves,

Ostatak kostima, koji je uključivao nauljenu kožnu odoru, čizme i rukavice

acted as kind of an early hazmat suit,

je bio neka vrsta ranog zaštitnog odela,

likely designed to block miasma from entering through the skin’s pores.

stvorenog da blokira mijazmu od ulaska kroz kožne pore.

While this shows some basic understanding that plague

Iako ovo pokazuje neko osnovno razumevanje da se kuga

spread from one place to another,

širi s jednog na drugo mesto,

these doctors couldn’t know that, in most cases,

ovi doktori nisu mogli da znaju da je, u većini slučajeva,

the true culprit was a tiny flea transmitting the bacteria,

pravi krivac sićušna buva koja je prenosila bakteriju,

Yersinia pestis, from one person or animal to another.

zvanu Yersinia pestis, sa jedne na drugu osobu ili životinju.

It’s possible that the plague doctor’s outfit may have provided

Moguće je da je odeća doktora za kugu pružala

some unintentional protection from flea bites.

izvesnu nenamernu zaštitu od ujeda buve.

However, not enough information survives to know whether

Međutim, nemamo dovoljno preživelih informacija da bismo znali

the costumed doctors fared any better than their ordinarily robed counterparts.

da li su doktori u odori bolje prolazili od njihovih standardno obučenih kolega.

It's no surprise that this bizarre getup has captured popular imagination,

Nije čudno što je ova bizarna odeća ostala u mašti širokih narodnih masa,

despite the fact that its use was limited to a few places in Italy and France

iako se koristila samo u nekoliko delova Italije i Francuske

during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

tokom XVII i ranog XVIII veka.

Even at the time, it was viewed with macabre fascination

Čak i tada, gledalo se na nju kao na nešto morbidno fascinantno

and occasionally used to mock the ineffective and corrupt

i povremeno se koristila da bi se ismejale neefikasne i korumpirane

practices of some physicians.

radnje nekih doktora.

Until the 20th century, there was no effective treatment for the plague,

Do XX veka nije bilo efikasnog leka za kugu,

but that didn’t stop doctors— costumed or not— from trying.

ali to nije sprečilo doktore- kostimirane ili ne- da pokušaju.

They consulted the works of earlier physicians for guidance,

Koristili su radove ranijih doktora kao smernice,

did what they could to fend off miasma,

radili su šta su mogli da odbiju mijazmu

and prescribed a variety of concoctions and antidotes.

i prepisivali su različite mešavine i protivotrove.

They also relied on pre-modern medical mainstays.

Takođe su se oslanjali na često korišćene metode u staro vreme.

These could include bloodletting,

Na primer: puštanje krvi

which involved draining (sometimes concerningly large amounts of) blood

što je uključivalo ceđenje (nekad i zabrinjavajuće velikih količina) krvi

in an attempt to remove poison or restore the body’s natural balance.

da bi se uklonio otrov ili vratila prirodna ravnoteža tela.

Or cupping, where the rim of a heated glass

Metoda je bila i stavljanje ivice zagrejane čaše

was placed over swollen lymph nodes in hopes of making them burst sooner—

preko nateklih limfnih čvorova, u nadi da će ranije pući-

a sign, when it occurred naturally, that a plague patient was on the mend.

što je, kada se dešavalo prirodno, bio znak da je pacijent sve bolje.

Or— perhaps most painfully— cautery,

Možda najbolnija metoda je bila kauterizacija,

which involved lancing the lymph nodes with a red-hot poker

spaljivanje limfnih čvorova užarenim žaračem,

to release the blackened pus within.

da bi se otpustio pocrneli gnoj iz njih.

A lot has changed since their times.

Mnogo toga se promenilo od tad.

Modern medicine has given us the means to quickly identify

Moderna medicina nam dozvoljava da brzo identifikujemo

bacterial as well as viral threats

bakterijske i virusne pretnje,

and to effectively mobilize against them.

i da krenemo u napad na njih.

We also have access to technologies like test kits,

Imamo pristup tehnologijama kao što su testovi,

masks to deter the spread of respiratory viruses, and vaccines;

maske da sprečimo širenje respiratornih virusa, i vakcine;

and we conduct robust trials to make sure they’re safe and effective.

i sprovodimo zahtevna istraživanja da bismo bili sigurni

da rade i da su bezbedne.

But some things don’t change:

Međutim, neke stvari se ne menjaju.

we still depend on the courage and compassion of medical professionals

I dalje zavisimo od hrabrosti i posvećenosti medicinskih radnika

who voluntarily risk their lives

koji svojevoljno rizikuju svoje živote

against an invisible attacker to help and comfort those who need it most.

u borbi sa nevidljivim neprijateljem da bi pružili pomoć i utehu kome je potrebna.