THE MASK

What’s hiding behind that mask?

Masks were worn by actors in theater before they were used for protection from disease and pollution. Perhaps that idea of misrepresentation is behind the social and political attitudes of protective mask wearing. Strasser (a biologist) and Schlich (a physician) examine the ways people have used protective masks to avoid “bad air” over centuries. The bad air can be too cold or too dry; full of dust, smoke, bacteria, or viruses; or toxic from military use, industry, or transportation. The use of protective masks illustrates what the authors call a technological fix. “Health and disease are examples of hugely complex phenomena, and they become even more so when considered collectively.” Society looks for a simple solution to a complex problem, and protective masks—and their uses and misuses over centuries—are a good example. Masks can be mandated or just recommended during epidemics, wars, or environmental disasters, but the primary responsibility for protection rests with the wearer. From plague doctors in the 1600s to the discovery of bacteria, protective masks were key to combating disease. Masks were also in great favor during the Industrial Revolution, because forcing workers—who were sanding wood, applying pesticides, spraying paint, mining coal, and making hats—to wear masks at work meant that industrialists didn’t need to clean up the work environment. Just slap a mask on workers, and they were good to go. The technology of masks has evolved over the centuries, but the politics of mask wearing has always been divisive, with some seeing protective masks as symbols of cowardice and fear, infringing on personal freedoms. Choosing to wear a protective mask is nothing less than a choice with cultural significance.

A thoroughly documented and well-illustrated accounting of mask wearing over two millennia.