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Plague Doctor
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CbC ME Challenge 1/12
pop punk rock hard rock surf rock
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Rock,POP ,Hard Rock, offbeat, weird ,cool, different
Song Info
Genre
Rock Goth Rock
Charts
Peak #26
Peak in subgenre #3
Author
M.Marshall,M.Bennett,K.Sacco
Rights
2012
Uploaded
January 21, 2012
Track Files
MP3
MP3 4.0 MB 128 kbps 4:20
Story behind the song
A plague doctor (Italian: physici epidemeie, Dutch: pestmeester, German: Pestarzt), was a special medical physician of the Middle Ages who saw those who had the bubonic plague. They were specifically hired by towns that had many plague victims in times of plague epidemics. Since the city was paying their salary they treated everyone, the rich and the poor. They were not normally professionally trained experienced physicians or surgeons, and often were second rate doctors not able to otherwise run a successful medical business or young physicians just out of school trying to get a medical business going. They were not otherwise a general practitioner or “family doctor”. Plague doctors by their covenant treated only plague patients and were known as municipal or “community plague doctors” , whereas “general practitioners” were separate doctors and both might be in the same European city or town at the same time. The beak they had was a filter for what they believed to be bad, infected air.In France and the Netherlands plague doctors many times didn’t have any medical training and were referred to as “empirics” – and even in one case he was just a fruit-seller beforehand. Being a medieval plague doctor was unpleasant, risky, and difficult. The chances of survival in times of a plague epidemic were slim. Because of the dangers and difficulties involved, plague doctors were very hard to find. History Pope Clement VI had hired several extra plague doctors during the Black Death plague. They were to attend to the sick people of Avignon. Of eighteen doctors in Venice, only one was left by 1348: five had died of the plague, and twelve were missing and may have fled. The first epidemic of bubonic plague dates back to the mid 500s, known as the Plague of Justinian. The largest epidemic was the Black Death of Europe in the fourteenth century. In medieval times the large loss of people due to the bubonic plague in a town created an economic disaster. Community plague doctors were quite valuable and were given special privileges. For example, a normally well guarded procedure of autopsies was freely allowed by plague doctors to allow research for a cure of the plague during the Middle Ages. The city of Orvieto hired Matteo fu Angelo in 1348 for 4 times the normal rate of a doctor of 50-florin per year. So valuable were plague doctors that when Barcelona dispatched two to Tortosa in 1650, outlaws captured them en route and demanded a ransom. The city of Barcelona paid for their release. Beak Doctor A plague doctor would have worn a beak doctor costume in his role as a specialized doctor. He was known then as a “Beak Doctor”. The protective suit consisted of a heavy fabric overcoat that was waxed, a mask of glassed eye openings and a cone shaped like a beak to hold scented substances. Some of the scented materials were amber, balm-mint leaves, camphor, cloves, laudanum, myrrh, rose petals, and storax.A wooden cane pointer was used to help examine the patient without touching. Historian O’Donnell says that a medieval plague doctor was also referred to as the chirurgeon (Middle English “cirurgien”, from Old French, from Latin ch?rurgia, from Greek ??????????, as referring to surgery). He says the chirurgeon wore a long black oilcloth robe that had a hood.It was intended as a protection suit against the contagious plague. This costume had openings for the eyes that were made of glass. It also had a hollow long beak for the nose, which was filled with camphor, garlic, mint, or a sponge of vinegar. This was all to protect the doctor from miasmatic bad air. Public Servants Plague doctors served as public servants during times of epidemics starting with the Black Death of Europe in the fourteenth century. Their principal task, besides taking care of plague victims, was to record in public records the deaths due to the plague. They instructed plague patients to be serene and lighthearted and to think of only gold, silver, and other items wh
Lyrics
The Black Death (Verse 1) Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, The dark shadows, mid-day sun. All the masses, rich and poor, Chances bleak at one in four. (Verse 2) Childless mothers scream, Dying children weep, Oozing postules bleed, Peasants, rats, and fleas. (Chorus) Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, The dark shadows, mid-day sun. All the masses, rich and poor, Chances bleak at one in four. (Verse 3) Fear and misery, Permeates everything. Burning incessantly, Off to God the masses flee. Solo Repeat Chorus (Verse 4) Hovers, black it harkens, Hopeless, age of darkness. Age of shadow, Hell on earth, Age of death, age of rebirth. Repeat Chorus
23 Song Likes
On 9 Playlists
Comments 19
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AlexisPatrick
May 13, 2020
Oh, so magnificent!!!!!
THE ANGEL REALM
Jul 31, 2012
EXCELLENT WORK.......GREATLY GOTH!!!!!!
LaughingSkull
Feb 27, 2012
I see I'll have a lot of pleasure digging through 'The Tools' archive. Can't wait to come back.
DOOMTRAINmusic
Feb 23, 2012
WOW really love this Floydy style journey into the darkness, SUPERB colab !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DRUMNJON
Feb 13, 2012
Wow.... Love that DARK slow Tempo.....Great vocals... Nice FX...GREAT PRODUCTION ...DRUMNSTINE...
Morten Gjermundsen
Feb 07, 2012
This is really great!Well written tune. Love the dark and haunting vibe. Excellent work guys!
Finnski
Feb 05, 2012
Very dark and GREAT guys!!
Great Gothic collab Mike, Ken, and Mike!!! This one really captures the times of Medieval Plague and DARK DARK AGES. Wonderful and most creative.
Ascenzion - Al Massey
Feb 01, 2012
Haunting dark melody accentuated by a powerful Gothic track...Distinctively wick and moving...
The Smivets
Jan 31, 2012
As soon as I saw the title I knew I was going to love this. Once again The Tools didn't disappoint. You never do. Everything's absolutely bang on target - vocal, lyrics, guitars, the whole ambience, hell even the fx - outstanding work, lads. Another grisly masterpiece for my rather unhealthy Tools obsession collection. Now, about those oozing pustules....
Mikejazz
Jan 31, 2012
Astonishing dark song with strong reminds of 70's floyd/waters. Masterful composition, singing and playing. It's perhaps my favourite. Bravo guys !!!
ALPHA ONE OMEGA
Jan 30, 2012
Classic Pink Floyd style v.nicely captured Excellent writing performance Top SC5*****Teamwork in action
Keyshardy
Jan 30, 2012
The Floyed meets Medieval torment!..Haunting and unique..Love those tones man!! Great job indeed!
Jonsson
Jan 30, 2012
VERY Pink Floydish indeed ! Really nice and dark lyrics. Perfect guitar themes and fills. Very nice work !!
Joe Hill
Jan 29, 2012
You are certainly a master of this genre! Excellent craftsmanship in songwriting and production.
Michael Duran
Jan 29, 2012
I do love that early Floyd vibe :) and this has it nailed! Great collab guys, you ROCK!
Rodrica Rudge
Jan 29, 2012
Brilliant stuff! I think we all too often romanticize the past and tend to forget the darker aspects. This track captures the atmosphere of bleak days and fearful times. Great prog rock sound, a little reminiscent of some of Pink Floyd's albums. Excellent job!
Stoob
Jan 29, 2012
Classic prog, top draw. Dunno if it was intended, but the vocals sounded very Roger Waters. At once stage I thought we were going into 'Ooh babe' lol.
Carlo D'Anna
Jan 28, 2012
Fantastic, Powerful, Gothic!! Sounds like Italian Prog to me. Like the band Goblin.