Understanding Modern Medical Masks as Symbols Through Analysis of Historical Medical Masks
Faculty Mentor
Melissa Schrift
Mentor Home Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Short Abstract
Medical masks have taken many shapes throughout human history. This has included the beaked plague doctor masks of the bubonic plague, the cotton and gauze masks used during the Manchurian plague, to the modern medical masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these iterations carried with them various symbolic meanings. Of these masks, modern medical masks have a much more complex symbolic image. This is due in part to the politicization of medical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is literature supporting the effectiveness of medical masks in reducing the spread of airborne illness, their credibility was challenged by American politicians. Medical masks became tools used both by politicians and the American public, not just to reduce the spread of disease, but to further political agendas. The ability of medical masks to facilitate such discourse implies they have great symbolic power that has not been fully explored. This led to the question: can modern medical masks be better understood as symbols by analyzing the impact of medical masks through history? To determine this, a literature review regarding medical mask symbology and history was conducted. Previous works were analyzed, compiled, and notated regarding medical masks and their symbology throughout history. This allowed for new connections to be drawn regarding the history of medical masks and the symbolic power they hold today. Medical masks, today, serve as contrasting symbols for opposing political parties, while also upholding their symbolism as objects of protection, safety, and health in the world of medicine.
Category
Art and Humanities
Start Date
5-4-2024 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2024 2:30 PM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Multicultural Center Presentation Room
Understanding Modern Medical Masks as Symbols Through Analysis of Historical Medical Masks
D.P. Culp Center Multicultural Center Presentation Room
Medical masks have taken many shapes throughout human history. This has included the beaked plague doctor masks of the bubonic plague, the cotton and gauze masks used during the Manchurian plague, to the modern medical masks worn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of these iterations carried with them various symbolic meanings. Of these masks, modern medical masks have a much more complex symbolic image. This is due in part to the politicization of medical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is literature supporting the effectiveness of medical masks in reducing the spread of airborne illness, their credibility was challenged by American politicians. Medical masks became tools used both by politicians and the American public, not just to reduce the spread of disease, but to further political agendas. The ability of medical masks to facilitate such discourse implies they have great symbolic power that has not been fully explored. This led to the question: can modern medical masks be better understood as symbols by analyzing the impact of medical masks through history? To determine this, a literature review regarding medical mask symbology and history was conducted. Previous works were analyzed, compiled, and notated regarding medical masks and their symbology throughout history. This allowed for new connections to be drawn regarding the history of medical masks and the symbolic power they hold today. Medical masks, today, serve as contrasting symbols for opposing political parties, while also upholding their symbolism as objects of protection, safety, and health in the world of medicine.