I wonder whether the interesting mask and attire shown above would suffice to protect us in this time of COVID 19. I suspect it would serve as well as, or perhaps slightly less well, than what we must now resort to in our efforts to "flatten the curve."
This remarkable outfit was apparently invented by a French doctor sometime in the 17th century, to be worn by doctors who, as public servants, sought to treat victims of the plague(s) of that time. Imagine if you can, my fellow Americans, doctors providing health services at public expense! It's no wonder so many died back then, taking assistance from public health care providers whose very existence was, and is, an abomination in the eyes of our righteous, and insistently capitalistic, Lord.
If not sinful in the eyes of God, this outfit, complete with aromatic herbs and spices kept in the beak of the doctor-bird, was probably not all that useful one would think. But given what's taking place now, just why would one think that? In the past it was thought that epidemics were caused by "bad air" (miasma). Now of course, we don't believe bad air is the culprit. Instead we think that the air is bad or potentially bad because it is rife with bacteria or some microscopic things which are generated by a coughing or sneezing victim of the virus, or a victim who, curiously, does not cough or sneeze or display any symptoms associated with our modern plague. Which, when you think of it, makes such air....bad.
I'm uncertain how porous the amusing bird masks were, but it occurs to me that such doctors, well-covered by the hat and long robe or coat and carrying a cane or stick by which they examined plague victims, were doing much the same as what we're doing now. That is to say, covering themselves to prevent contact with bad air whether in the form of a miasma or as a conveyance of the invisible (to what we call "the naked eye") virus. I am curious why a bird mask was used, however. I think an elephant mask would have worked as well, and been even more charming.
Now we're told we should wear masks of a much less interesting sort, but we have much fewer than we need. So, we do what that French doctor did, and dream up some substitutes for them, made of cloth, or use bandanas and scarves, while waiting for supplies of the appropriate mask to be made or while we accept the charity of other nations such as Russia or China to obtain them, or for which we pay them.
It's said our Glorious Republic is the most favored nation in the world, but we must go begging for masks we don't have from old, and probably current, enemies. As they say: "How the mighty have fallen." Perhaps other nations will form something like the Peace Corps and help the poor, suffering people of the U.S.A. Mothers will tell children they should eat well and be healthy, and cite the example of the poor children in America.
How different are we from those who faced epidemics centuries ago? Our religious leaders (those in the U.S.) declare that God will protect us, as long as we keep coming to church or prayer meetings despite warnings. Our president keeps referring to miracle drugs of one kind or another and makes unsubstantiated predictions, flaunting his ignorance. A train engineer in California drove his train off the tracks rather than have its cargo delivered to a hospital ship because he thought the ship somehow part of a conspiracy regarding the virus. Gun sales have soared. We're no more enlightened now than we were then. In response to fear we become the desperate primitives we were.
Welcome to the past we're doomed to repeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment