Year of the mask, Olivia Mathis

The Year

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

It’s an item that has become the physical embodiment of the world’s fight against the coronavirus. Olivia Mathislooks at the history of the surgical mask.

IT HAS PERHAPS SERVED as the most symbolic representation of our fight against the coronavirus. Wearing one has developed into an act of consideration and of social responsibility; every individual has been granted the chance to visually demonstrate the part they are playing during the pandemic. In a way, the masks have brought us closer together.

You can walk down the aisle of the train carriage and be greeted by an array of masks in different colours and patterns. Every person sporting it is doing so for one, or both, of two reasons: they are either protecting themselves, or they are protecting those around them. The masks serve as the identifiable garment of the life and experiences we share during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the mask has caused a deep divide in public opinion. Many have abided by

of the Mask

Picture: Mark Kriedemann

the government’s preference that everyone wears a mask, following health advice that that But just as many do not believe in the cruciality of the mask; they do not do enough, and it is anybody’s right to not wear one. The opposing sides of the mask debate have been swiftly presented throughout the media and on social platforms, projecting discussion of the necessity of the garment into our households. Belonging in the centre of conversation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mask has claimed 2020.

It is difficult to picture boarding public transport and walking around our university campus without the presence of masks. But we only need to think back to ten months ago to remember a city without an abundance of face masks. Of course, face masks have existed for decades and have served roles different to what they are primarily utilised for today. As the Year of the Mask is coming to an end, let’s have a look at the history of this essential garment.

The mask with which we are familiar, the surgical mask, fell into favour with health and medical professionals during the 1960s. The surgical mask replaced the use of cloth masks, which are thought to be less efficient in the protection against the spread of disease. However, the transition from the cloth mask to the surgical mask primarily occurred in developed nations. Presently, developing

The Year of the Mask, Olivia Mathis countries still largely utilise cloth face masks. To eventually evolve into our handy surgical masks, the process behind the creation and development of the protective garment began with much heavier and complex designs.

Beaks of the 18th century

The origin of the need for protective materials over the face dates back to 17th century Europe. This general date marks the presence of the Great Plague of London, also known as The Great Plague. This epidemic was the last major spread of the bubonic plague to occur in Europe. During the plague, doctors adopted attire consisting of a leather headdress (which extended down to the feet of doctors) and a long beak. The beak was filled with perfumes to lessen the smell of horrible odours. It could also hold dried flowers and herbs so as to cover up the scent of air during the plague. This reflected the belief at the time that airborne viruses were spread through scents. However, this was ultimately disproved by the germ theory – which states that microorganisms and pathogens are responsible for the spread of disease.

Fashionable cloth masks in the 19th century

During the 19th century, different forms of face masks began to take over as the germ theory was discovered and more widely understood. The 1800s mark a time when scientists theorised that bacteria can travel on dust particulars, and so protective face garments became an established element of fashion of the day. In France, Georges-Eugene Haussmann was selected by Emperor Napoleon to conduct a redevelopment of Paris. The widespread diaspora of dust created by the renovation saw fashionable women wear lace veils to protect their faces from particles.

In the United States, a New York-based physician named A. J. Jessup recommended the use of cotton masks to limit the spread of disease. In the years preceding the 1863 – 1875 Cholera epidemic, Jessup wrote in 1878:

“Thus we see that as quarantine and disinfection will certainly spread of contagion from patient to patient, may we not confidently hope, by preventing the entrance of germs into the lungs and blood, by a properly constructed filtering mask to yet witness the spectacle of a population walking about the streets of a cholera infested city, without fear of its infection however deadly. As a properly made cotton filter worn over the mouth and nose must shut out all atmospheric gems of the ordinary putrefactive kind. We may confidently assure that those of disease will be equally excluded.”

The cotton masks recommended by Jessup are similar to the cloth masks which would eventually see widespread use. However, his idea was initially dismissed and would be accepted decades later.

Surgical masks

Up until the early 20th century, the use of face masks was only advocated for as a response to pandemics, epidemics, or environmental pollution. The 20th century saw the beginning of the use of masks by surgeons during medical procedures. In 1905, American physician Alice Hamilton results, she pioneered the necessity for mouth many cities, the public were ordered to wear them. At this time, masks were made primarily of gauze. It is argued that these masks did not do a sufficient enough job. For instance, many masks were homemade due to shortages. With the use of coarse gauze, the masks contained many small holes. Additionally, they were not worn correctly. People often wore them The 1920s saw the face mask become a dominant staple of the operation room. They were also becoming increasingly prevalent in dentistry practices. During this era, scientists experimented with various materials to understand which would be the most

Pre-COVID mask uses

recommended the use of face masks by doctors In the Post World War II era, face masks were when performing surgery. In an experiment, increasingly worn around the world in she tested the amounts of strep bacteria response to air pollution. The past 50 years released from the mouths of healthy doctors have seen the use of face masks for reasons when they talked or laughed. Alarmed at the primarily not disease-related. protective. coverings by surgeons. Although the prevalence of face masks has significantly risen in recent months in Mandatory masks in the Australia, countries in East Asia witness masks being worn all year long. This is largely 1900s attributed to awful air quality and pollution. In particular, China, Japan and South Korea have During the 1918 – 1920 Spanish Flu pandemic The wearing of the face mask, initially in – an event to which the current pandemic has response to poor air quality, has demonstrated often been compared – medical personnel an impressive impact on the youth culture of adopted for routine use of face masks and in East Asia. developed the mask into a fashionable item. with their noses exposed. Picture: Mark Kriedemann

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Face masks have also been used as a mechanism in preventing identification. In the United States, banks and convenient stores have previously banned their use on their grounds as criminals use them to conceal their identities while committing illegal activity. During the 2019 – 2020 Hong Kong protests, protesters sported face masks as a means of protecting their identities from the government’s facial recognition technology.

As a domestic case, Australians adopted face masks during our awful summer bushfire season, just months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. Who would have thought that within months of recovering from deteriorating air quality, we’d be introduced to another reason to wear masks?

The masks we wear now

At this moment, the surgical masks we have been recommended – ordered in some states – to wear, are made of three layers. These layers contain microfibre glass and non-woven plastic. We have been taught how to wear them, and how to wash them. The rise of custom-made masks has seen people matching their masks to their outfits in a bid to reflect current circumstances in our fashion choices.

The fusion of our clothing and the pandemic is perhaps a repetition of history. Fashion throughout history has often reflected the world and pop culture. Parisian women once transformed the need for facial protection into their clothing choices, and two centuries later, we are seeing the reestablishment of the relationship between face masks and our outfits.

In this sense, the repetition of history has found its way back into our lives. Though the face mask has undergone many physical and attitude changes throughout the ages, we seek protection from a foreign disease in the same way the world did 100 years ago. Every new scientific finding and event in disease-related history has allowed the mask to stand as an imperative representation of our current circumstances.

2020 is the Year of the Mask.

Graphics: Lucia Mai

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Picture: Mark Kriedemann