'Everything you need to know about face masks'

For those of us who seem to be older than everybody, our first encounter with a face mask was probably during Halloween. In the 1950s -- before you could buy a Halloween costume complete with a molded plaster character mask, most costumes were homemade. To hide your identity, you added a bandana if you were masquerading as an outlaw or a full sheet over your head if you were a ghost.

The only other face mask we had seen was probably worn by The Lone Ranger on Saturday morning westerns, or later on, the mask of Zorro.

But with a little research, I learned the first face mask was developed in 1827 by the Scottish scientist Robert Brown who discovered "Brownian motion" (the random motion of small particles suspended in liquid or gas). Brown’s find, theoretically, proved the protective effect of masks on dust.

However, through the ages, people from various cultures have covered their faces with masks in celebratory traditions for thousands of years. Masks are thought to have originated in ancient religious ceremonies in China. Images of people wearing masks also have been found in rock paintings along the Yangtze. Later, mask forms originated in myths or were symbols from shamanism and Buddhism.

Medical mask-wearing began around the 17thcentury. To escape exposure to the highly contagious plagues and the horrible smells from the plague epidemics, doctors wore floor-length leather coats, boots, gloves and face masks similar to hoods with eye holes and an elongated pouch, resembling a bird’s beak where the nose would be. These beaky pouches were filled with dried flowers, fresh herbs and spices to ward off the odoriferous rotting smells carried with every breeze.

The plague doctor’s mask, beak, scary eye holes and all, marked an important moment in the history of the medical mask. Developed by the French medical doctor Charles de Lorme, “the beak” was among the first face coverings designed to diminish the spread of illness.

In 1848, American inventor Lewis Hassley obtained the first patent for the protective mask he designed for miners. This proved to be a milestone in the history of face masks.

To prevent infection and protect the surgical field, Paul Berger, a French surgeon, used the first medical mask -- essentially a handkerchief -- during surgery. The year was 1897

Berger’s improved mask tied above his nose and was made from six layers of gauze, and its lower edge was sewn to the top of his sterilized linen apron. On February 22, 1899, Berger read a paper, “On the Use of a Mask in Operating,” before the Surgical Society of Paris. The reception wasn’t exactly warm. It would take until the 1920s for surgical masks to be used during all surgeries.

Before the 1918 influenza epidemic overtook North America, surgeons wore masks, as did nurses and doctors who were treating contagious hospital patients during the epidemic. Cities around the world passed mandatory masking orders.

Historian Nancy Tomes writes, “mask-wearing was embraced by the American public as an emblem of public spiritedness and discipline.”

“Women accustomed to knitting socks and rolling bandages for soldiers quickly took to mask-making as a patriotic duty. That said, the enthusiasm for maskwearing waned quickly,” as Alfred W. Crosby recorded in America’s Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918.

Throughout the early decades of the 20th century, patents were issued for various styles of masks. Most commonly, masks were made of cotton gauze and held in place with a metal frame. Modern disposable masks grew in popularity in the 1960s, and in 1972, the N95 respirator mask was invented, becoming a healthcare standard in epidemics by 1995.

Over the years, the efficacy of mask-wearing has been argued. Do masks protect the wearer from elements coming from others or does wearing the mask protect those surrounding the wearer from spittle and other airborne pathogens?

Since COVID-19, people around the world have begun to wear masks regularly. They don’t go out unless absolutely necessary, etc., etc., and when they do leave home, they not only wear a mask but carry extras, as well.

Most believe if they wear a mask, they will be less likely to carry COVID-19, expose others and keep themselves and those they love safe from the pandemic--all good reasons.

But maybe other maskwearers have noticed…with the last few days of cooler weather here in Dripping, masks also keep noses from getting cold.

Be well. Stay warm.