The Spectator

Who was the first to wear a face mask?

[iStock] 
issue 10 July 2021

Mask crusader

Who first wore a medical face mask?

— The beaked outfits worn by plague doctors aside, the first doctor to wear a mask was the French abdominal surgeon Paul Berger in 1897. His mask, made from six layers of gauze, was inspired by the work of German microbiologist Carl Flugge, who had revealed what a good breeding ground saliva is for bacteria.

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