This article comes from the public account Wei Xizhibei (ID: weixizhibei), author Wei Xi, love Fan Er released with permission.
In the cold early winter of 2020, masks have once again become the protagonist of this country. This little simple commodity has become a necessity for people to compete in disasters. So, what is the history of masks? How does it affect the evolution of human respiratory protection? Today Wei Xi takes you to find out:
Record and exploration of masks before modern times
The history of human protection of the respiratory system dates back to ancient Roman times. In the first century AD, philosopher and naturalist Pliny (23-79 AD), he used loose animal bladder skin to cover his nose. To filter the dust so that this toxic mercury sulfide is not inhaled when cinnabar is crushed.
▲ Pliny the philosopher and naturalist
Medical Western medical circles believed that infectious diseases such as cholera and black death were caused by “radon gas” in the air, so in order to resist “radon gas”, some doctors at the time would bring a bird when they diagnosed respiratory diseases Mouth masks. These masks will contain some spices and herbs; although they do not understand the principle, they do block the spread of the disease to a certain extent.
▲ Medieval duckbill mask
16th century Florence, famous painter and naturalist-Da Vinci