the plague doctor 's costume was the clothing worn by a plague doctor to protect him or her from airborne diseases .

the costume , originating in the 17th century , consisted of an ankle length overcoat and a bird-like beak mask often filled with sweet or strong smelling substances ( commonly lavender ) , along with gloves , boots , a wide-brimmed hat , and an outer over-clothing garment .

plague doctor costume

our striking plague doctor costume is inspired by special medical physician ' s who treated plague victims .
cure the party with the medieval plague doctor halloween costume ! this costume includes a robe , collar , belt hat and mask .
i made this costume in 1960 and got into trouble with the nuns . was a great costume .
the plague doctor was a common fixture of the medieval world , with his bird - like costume that was believed to resist the plague .
they were talking around the time where the plague doctor costume was made . . that is what the site is about
if you want to dress up like a plague doctor for halloween , there are some pretty rad masks on etsy , and a neat costume kit on amazon .
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a plague doctor mask adds the perfect finishing touch to any plague doctor halloween costume . worn by both children and adults alike , plague doctor masks come in a wide array of sizes and fashions . shop the wide selection of costumes , reenactment , and theater masks on ebay to find the perfect one for your needs .
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the costume is finished with a black , leather - effect , wide - brimmed hat .
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in 1619 , charles de l ' orme created what we now consider to be the distinctive
look
of a plague doctor . here ' s a picture of a plague doctor from 1656 :
so why is steampunk absolutely inundated with plague doctors ? on the surface , the plague doctor would seem to be ideologically opposite to steampunk .
the mask arrived in just 3 days and i am very happy with the purchase . it is the ideal accessory to complete my plague doctor costume . thank you guys , you have a lot of talent .
handmade newest the plague doctor masquerade raven bird mask - venetian antique off white accent masquerade ball doctor mask . this plague mask is 100 % handmade using the papier - mache technique and des . . .
made in the style of a steampunk plague doctor . adult sized steampunk mask . great for halloween .
i have a medival trade faire project and i chose plague doctor . those masks are pretty nice .
a plague doctor was a medical physician who treated those who had the plague . plague doctors wore a mask with glass eye openings and a cone nose shaped like a beak to hold scented substances . this was thought to protect the doctor from miasmatic bad air .
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our creepy white plastic plague doctor style masquerade eye mask is a great choice for halloween ! one adult size .
the plague doctor carried a wooden stick so that he could drive people who came too close to him away .
hand crafted leather plague doctor mask , all genuine leather , durable , carefully crafted , hand stitched and riveted .
i’m a plague doctor fanatic ! it’s awesome how you guys added the history and you have the masks for sale .
i can imagine that few leather fabricators would turn down a commission for such a cool concept as a plague doctor .
first of all , with the popularization of the germ theory of disease in the mid - 1800 ' s , plague doctors became more or less a thing of the past . or at least , the plague doctor costume became very outdated . so plague doctors don ' t really fit into the time period that ' s often associated with steampunk .
i think the plague doctor look , could be chosen as an aesthetic style , for functional gas masks . compare the plague doctor masks shown in your post to a late ww1 , or ww2 era gas mask , like the one shown here urltoken
we look at the masks as some sort of adornment , but for the plague doctor , they were strictly functional and highly unpleasant . in fact , wearing the plague doctor outfit must have been an absolutely horrible experience , but they did it anyway .
this halloween pays tribute to the 50 million people who died because of the black death . dress up as a plague doctor !
that’s what i was . no one knew or cared what i was and it was kinda disappointing . i still like my costume though .
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our plague doctor masks are of high quality , so they are used in theater , performances , tv series , shows or concerts , among others . they are also ideal for halloween , costume parties , themed events , decoration… or just because you would love to have one !
paracelsus was a famous medieval plague doctor . the italian city of pavia in 1479 contracted giovanni de ventura as a community plague doctor . the irish physician , niall ó glacáin ( c . 1563 ? - 1653 ) earned deep respect in spain , france and italy for his bravery in treating numerous victims of the plague .
the costume itself was great but it carried an extremely awful odor that was unbearable . i had the mask on for 2 minutes and was ready to vomit . the costume was left over night in my car on accident and the next morning , my car smelled absolutely disgusting . i attempted to mask the smell and literally used half a bottles worth of axe body spray and the costume kept its odor . i ' ll be returning it and would like a full refund . it ' s unacceptable to send someone a costume that has an odor as strong as a garbage dump .
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 .
it’s not as a doctor plying noble trade that has given the costume its staying power . plague equaled death , and when you have black garbed doctors roaming around with giant protruding mask noses and no eyes , you’re going to start associating them with death , too . the mask and costume became associated with the commedia dell’arte character il medico della peste . and the white version of the mask was adopted in venice and is now a frequent carnival sight .
unless indicated otherwise , the text in this article is either based on wikipedia article
plague doctor costume
or another language wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the gnu free documentation license ; or on original research by jahsonic and friends . see art and popular culture ' s copyright notice .
our plague doctor masks are made in the best quality , so they are used in theater , performances , films , tv series , movies , shows or concerts , among others . they are also ideal for halloween , costume parties , themed events , decoration… or just because you would love to have one !
in certain european cities like florence and perugia plague doctors were requested to do autopsies to help determine the cause of death and how the plague played a role . plague doctors became testators and witnesses to numerous wills during times of plague epidemics .
the doctor wore leather gloves to protect his hands from any form of contact with the disease .
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today some artisan artists made handmade plague doctor masks to pay tribute to these brave doctors who helped to stop the greatest pandemic of all time . we , with the same objective , opened the first store specializing in plague doctor masks for sale . order your mask today and we will send it to your home . we ship worldwide !
the doctor of the plague masquerade features a white mask with a long beak and spectacles , a black cape , collar , hat , white gloves , and stick . the origin of this costume can be traced to a 16th - century french doctor , charles de lorme , who adopted bizarre sanitary precautions before visiting patients infected with the plague . dressed in a doctor ' s outfit , he wore a mask with a long , bird - like nose filled with herbs and other perfumes to protect him from the contagious disease . he also carried a stick so he didn ' t need to touch the patients with his own hands .
cocc professor mark eberle describes the features of the plague doctor costume . archival image # 1 : engraving from 1656 by j . columbina from the medical history museum of copenhagen , denmark . archival image # 2 : painting from 1700 by theodore zwinger . the painting is in the basle history museum , switzerland . video by leilani rapaport the bulletin urltoken © 2013
character : plague doctor . body mask is made of resin and eyeglass is acrylic , high - tech sense mask , high quality mask . material : resin mask acrylic eyeglass .
i ' m sure that there are plenty of people out there who have no idea what a plague doctor is / was , so i ' ll start with an explanation .
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wearing this gorgeous mask will give a stunning and lasting impression in halloween day well constructed of durable materials suitable for both men and women full face steampunk plague doctor mask , use . . .
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these great plague doctor masks are brilliant for halloween ! choose from a white or black full face mask with curved beak and attached round glasses . sexy halloween christmas . book week halloween chri . . .
the plague doctor mask is made of medium weight veg tan leather and has an adjustable strap . it comes with a series of nine ventilation holes on the bottom of the beak for ease of breathing .
historian o’donnell says that a medieval plague doctor was also referred to as the chirurgeon ( middle english “cirurgien” , from old french , from latin chīrurgia , from greek χειρουργία , 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 .
a famous plague doctor who gave medical advice against the black death plague as preventative measures was nostradamus . he advised to drink only boiled water , use only clean bed linens , and to leave an area as soon as possible that was believed to be infected with the black death .
another thing that steampunks like are costumes , and few historically - accurate costumes are as great as the plague doctor ' s . i mean , come on . . . plague doctors look like terrifying birds , and they poked people with sticks . what ' s not to love about that ?
the plague doctor’s haunting costume still abides as a creepy symbol of death and the unknown . we’ve long indulged in masked thrills , but often these types of costumes are linked to celebration , tradition , and religious symbolism . in a way , the plague doctor costume isn’t much different than many other spooky and strange cultural traditions . the doctors at the time understood little about what they were dealing with , and the function of the curved peak turns out to be a function of superstition and fear . although modern medicine has quelled our fears of this menace , we are still susceptible to infectious diseases that move faster than we can outwit them . just last year the whole world cowered at the threat of a major ebola outbreak . it was mostly just a paranoias for those of us in the united states and other developed nations , but it devastated several african countries . like the black plague , and other iterations of yersinia pestis , erroneous superstitions made the fight even more difficult .
however , it ' s important to remember that for the time period in which the plague doctor costume was invented , that was science at its finest . these people weren ' t shaking sticks and praying for cures , they were actively trying to treat patients using the latest medical science at their disposal . granted , that was usually something like ,
drink this mixture of herbs that i found in my yard
, but it was still something .
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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 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 .
photo credits : dscf1259 . jpg by darren and brad / flickr / cc by - nc 2 . 0 ; paul fürst , engraving , c . 1721 , of a plague doctor of marseilles / public domain / via wikimedia
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adult size plague doctor mask made from top quality latex with hand painted finish . the mask fits to your headwith an elasticated strap . one size fits most , the nose can be padded out with a little ti . . .
meanwhile , the most distinctive part of the costume , the mask , was created in order to hold incense or herbs that ostensibly kept out the
bad air
, and thus prevented the plague doctor from getting sick . ideally , at least , as it didn ' t really work in practice . the end effect , of course , was somewhat terrifying , but it ' s important to note that underneath the strange costumes were men who were trying to cure the ill . their pay was high ( nearly four times higher than a regular doctor , by some accounts ) , but their mortality rate was also high .
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 .
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during the black plague , it was thought that bad smells were the cause of the plague . plague doctors therefore wore masks with long beak - like noses stuffed with flowers or smoke to hide the smells . if you want to enjoy a more realistic and fun experience , we recommend to introduce some kind of aromatic herb at the beak of the mask when you use it ! ! this halloween pays tribute to the 50 million people who died because of the black death . dress up as a plague doctor !
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plague doctor , long bird mouth mask . the following problems with goods appear to be normal , because we are mass - produced , so we can not take into account the perfect details of all the goods , such as . . .
the hat was made of leather . it was worn to show that the man was a doctor and also to add extra protection to the head .
the full - length gown was made out of thick material which was then covered with wax . underneath the gown the doctor would wear leather breeches .
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 .
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 which were comforting to the heart instead of death .
plague doctor mask handmade from natural leather and cast resin parts . it has an adjustable strap that fits all head sizes , from xs ( children ) to xxl . lightweight and comfortable to wear . its ventilation holes facilitate breathing and prevent the acrylics from fogging up .
amazing ! ! ! ! perfect costume and it happens to be the one i wanted to be this year for halloween . . . both my mom and i were tryin to find a way to make it and this will help alot with that . thanks soo much for posting this .
the beak that was attached to the mask was stuffed with herbs , perfumes or spices to purify the air that the doctor breathed when he was close to victims .
a medical doctor equipped for visiting patients afflicted with the plague : a waxed long cloak , face covered with a mask , eyes secured behind crystal , and pleasantly smelling spices are placed in the long beak . with his rod he points at what should be attended to .
if you are passionate about the plague doctors , it will be a pleasure to welcome you to our facebook page , where we share photos , tattoos , cosplays costumes , videos and news about the plague doctors .
as if this head - to - toe shroud of foreboding wasn’t enough , from the front protruded a grotesque curved beak designed to hold the fragrant compounds believed to keep “plague air” at bay . favourite scents included camphor , floral concoctions , mint , cloves , myrrh and basically anything that smelled nice and strong . in some french versions of the costume , compounds were actually set to smolder within the beak , in the hopes that the smoke would add an extra layer of protection . a wooden stick completed the look , which the plague doctor used to lift the clothing and bed sheets of infected patients to get a better look without actually making skin - to - skin contact .
those who took their place — the so - called plague doctor or medico della peste — were often little more than paid hacks and second - rate physicians hired by desperate municipalities . these eerily clad public servants would become an iconic symbol of the plague that we easily recognize to this very day . . . harbingers of doom in a very dark chapter in the history of human suffering .
plague doctors also thought that if they cented there masks they would not get a disease but they were wrong .
of course there have been many waves of bubonic plague . here we only talk about the biggest of them .
one of the most distinctive masks worn during the carnival of venice is “il medico della peste , ” or “the plague doctor . ” but the distinctive bone - white mask and black clothing was actually the 17th century equivalent of a biocontainment suit . albeit one based on very shaky science .
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[ … ] far , to me , the most interesting thing about the plague was the plague doctors . these men were regarded as superheroes , crazy men , curses , and blessings , all in the same breath . [ … ]
made of a canvas outer garment coated in wax , as well as waxed leather pants , gloves , boots and hat , the costume became downright scary from the neck up . a dark leather hood and mask were held onto the face with leather bands and gathered tightly at the neck so as to not let in any noxious , plague - causing miasmas that might poison the wearer . eyeholes were cut into the leather and fitted with glass domes .
bubonic plague was discovered in 1320 in the gobi desert . in 1331 the plague reached to china , in 1338 to russia , in 1342 to india , and finally in 1346 reached to the european continent , no one could stop it .
presumably , their principal task of the plague doctors was to help treat and cure plague victims , and some did give it their best shot . in actual fact , however , the plague doctors’ duties were far more actuarial than medical . most did a lot more counting than curing , keeping track of the number of casualties and recorded the deaths in log books .
plague doctors practiced bloodletting and other remedies such as putting frogs on the buboes “rebalancing the humors” as a normal routine . after plague doctors saw patients they were quarantined for a lengthy period ( e . g . 40 days ) . plague doctors could not generally interact with the general public because of the nature of their business and the possiblility of spreading the disease .
the doctors clothing was very varied , although in 1619 charles de l’orme invented a uniform than was the most popular . this clothing consisted of a coarse cloth robe waxed , and a blouse introduced in the pants , which are tied to boots . they also wore a hat and gloves . all the costume was made in goat leather .
your history is off . bubonic plague was “discovered” much earlier . in 541 ad , the byzantine empire had been hit with a pandemic of plague , that historians have called “the justinian plague , ” named after the byzantine emperor at the time . not only that , but there had been multiple outbreaks between the pandemic in 541 ad , and the pandemic in 1346 .
well , as with the plague doctors , there are also pirates in steampunk , which are not very historically accurate either .
actually , the plague doctors did almost nothing to stop the plague , and did more harm than good , killing tons of people with their “treatments” while we can remember them and maybe dress up as them , we should not honour them in any means .
during the black plague , it was thought that bad smells were the cause of the plague . plague doctors therefore wore masks with long beak - like noses stuffed with flowers or smoke to hide the smells . if you want to enjoy a more realistic and fun experience , we recommend to introduce some kind of aromatic herb at the beak of the mask when you use it ! !
so is it really any wonder that the plague doctor has captured the imaginations of steampunks ? men of science who were viewed with distrust and suspicion by the public , and who are now an obscure and forgotten part of history ? no , you ' re right , that doesn ' t sound like something steampunks would like at all .
this mask is identical to a classic plague doctor mask , but with a longer beak . the leather mask is mostly riveted together with some hand - stitching . the eyepieces are sewn in with waxed thread . the mask is painted black and the lenses are gray acrylic . paint is designed to wear off of rivets for that aged look .
the black death was born from an evolution of the bacterium yersinia pestis , which had its own pandemic in the year 500 , known as the plague of justinian . the primary means of spread of the plague were flea bites , which were hidden in clothing and textiles .
some of the masquerades worn in venice carnival today are characters from the famous 16th and 17th - century italian theater , commedia dell ' arte . arlecchino ( harlequin ) played the role of a faithful valet - patient , trusting , passionate , and playful . his costume is decorated with brightly colored triangles and diamonds and his black half mask has tiny eyeholes and quizzically arched eyebrows accentuated by a wrinkled forehead .
today venice carnevale lasts for a two - week period leading up to lent . during this time , hundreds of thousands of people come from all over the world to enjoy the celebration . for many it is an annual pilgrimage and much of the year is spent in preparing their elaborate masquerades . showing off a costume against the backdrop of venetian architecture and posing for photographers is part of carnival play in venice .
the pandemic of bubonic plague was so huge that the whole society changed , ending the days of the middle ages and giving rise to the renaissance .
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to treat the sick they did bloodletting , leeches and toads were used every day , but this was not effective . the most famous plague doctor was nostradamus , who gave advice such as removing infected corpses , get some fresh air , drink clean water , drink a juice made with rose hips , and do not bleed the patient . nostradamus was a reference to stop the black death pandemic .
the body was covered , head to toe , in an attempt to keep the disease at bay . in fact , the stick that the doctor above carries was used to prod patients so that they didn ' t actually have to be touched .
this plague mask is 100 % handmade using the papier - mache technique or pu leather , it ' s designed for unisex adults and children over 13 years old .
great site… i am looking for reliable references to mercury used as treatment for the plague , especially in the seventeenth century . can anyone point me in the right direction ?
looked at from that perspective , you can almost see plague doctors as champions of science , or maybe martyrs for science would be more appropriate , given their mortality rate .
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 .
to stop the pandemic was born the plague doctor , who were doctors specializing in care for those infected by this disease . these doctors were hired by the villages , and they took care of citizens of all social classes , rich and poor . when there were not enough doctors , people from other professions were hired to assist the infected . given the risk of this task , was very difficult to find people prepared to do the work , many of them died and others fled . they cared for the sick , got rid of the corpses , did autopsies , and they had a listing on the public register of deaths caused by the plague .
second , plague doctors in many ways represent superstition over science . breathing incense to keep away the sickness ? seems rather silly to a modern audience , and much more like nonsense than science .
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the first cases of bubonic plague , or black death were discovered in the 14th century and it is the most devastating pandemic in the history of humanity , which affected the whole of europe killing 60 % of europeans , died 50 million people of a total of 80 million inhabitants , according to data from researcher diane zahler . the plague also affected eastern countries , but did not reach the american or african continents .
this brown plague doctor mask have metal rivets , which gives it a bit of a steampunk look . the eyepieces are sewn in with waxed thread . the mask is painted brown and the lenses are gray acrylic . the mask is made of 5 - 6 oz veg tan leather and has an adjustable strap . it will fit all adult heads up to 61cm / 24in around . if your head size is larger , we can customize the mask for you , without additional cost . paint is designed to wear off of rivets for that aged look .
despite what we now consider to be their relatively fearsome appearance , they were originally just doctors , and they have existed for as long as there have been plagues . our first record of plague doctors dates back to around the year 500 ad , well before the germ theory of disease . these doctors would be contracted by the government to treat everyone with the plague , rich or poor , and as a result , their lifespans were rather short . this is unsurprising , considering that any protective measures they took were almost certainly misguided or totally ineffective . generally speaking , 90 % of plague doctors died from the diseases they were trying to treat .
each piece of the suit—the hat , the bird - like mask , the red glass eyes , the black overcoat , the leather breeches , and the wooden cane—is thought to have had an important function to either keep the disease away or scare it away . what doctors didn ' t know was that they were probably doing more harm than good—spreading the plague even more by exposing more people to their plague - covered articles of clothing .
another thing that lends to their credibility as both scientists and objects of terror is that plague doctors were given permission to perform autopsies on plague victims in the hope of curing the disease . that may not sound like much right now , but at the time , autopsies were considered blasphemous , evil , terrible , etc . so in all likelihood , they were doing some solid work toward our understanding of anatomy , if nothing else .
panic , desperation and grief reigned supreme , from the humblest burgs to the most vibrant cities throughout europe . all manner of prayers and bargains and cures were attempted , but to no avail . with no antibiotics available to fight the dreaded bacteria , the plague would simply have to run its course . the plague did not entirely disappear from european soil until the 19th century as smaller but still deadly outbreaks occurred continuously in the decades that followed .
were it not for their fearsome appearance , plague doctors might have been considered heroes . granted , many of them were scam artists trying to cash in on the high pay , but some of them were genuinely trying to help .
many doctors , knowing that they could do nothing for plague victims , simply didn’t bother trying to treat the disease . those that did made sure that they were as protected as possible from the disease by wearing the ‘uniform’ shown above .
who cares what the blundering masses know ! …we know because , we stumbled on to , the horror that was the plague doc…we were incredulous at this hideous practice and outfit to match no other in creepy…let the masses have jason … . . ha ha
the bubonic plague , also known as the black death , killed at least 75 million people on three continents . described as the most lethal epidemic in history , the plague began in china in the 1330s and made its way through europe from 1346 to 1353 . in those times , physicians didn ' t know what was causing the disease to spread , but they did know it was highly contagious . to provide medical care and to protect themselves , doctors of the time invented the medieval version of a hazmat suit .
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what was with the bird ' s beak ? well , a common belief at the time was that the plague was being spread by birds . ( we now know that rats and fleas were responsible for spreading the black death . ) the doctors may have thought that dressing up in a bird - like gas mask , the plague would be transferred from the patient to the garment . this beak piece was also filled with vinegar , sweet oils , and other strong - smelling chemicals to mask the stench of death and unburied bodies .
people in the fourteenth century did not know what caused the plague and many believed it was a punishment from god . they did realise that coming into contact with those infected increased the risk of contracting the disease yourself . cures and preventative measures were not at all effective .
the plague doctors had a common accessory , a wooden cane which they used to examine patients without having to touch them . some infected thought that the black death was a punishment from god , and asked to doctors to be whipped with the cane to compensate for their sins .
then , as now , it seems a life of public service was occasionally at odds with the ambitions of some medically minded entrepreneurs . whatever their intentions , whatever their failings , plague doctors were thought of as brave and highly valued ; some were even kidnapped and held for ransom .
in a lot of the masks you see today , there are black circles around the eyeholes , connected by a curved black line . that’s a representation of the spectacles the actual plague doctors had on their masks , which went a long way to keeping the evil miasma away from the doctors .
by the 17th century , plague doctors developed a special outfit to address this concern . these scary bird masks didn’t spring from the mind of a visionary horror writer ; they were a grim reality . while you were holing up in your house hoping your family wouldn’t succumb to the mysterious malady sweeping the earth , you might glance outside and see one or two of the specters walking around your neighborhood for a house call . their spooky appearance served a purpose : it was partly a warning to get out of town , which was one of the only ways to truly avoid the plague .
in the 14th century , doctors would have been easily identifiable by their wide - brimmed black hats worn close to the head . plague doctors and their hats are similar to today ' s chefs and soldiers . it ' s thought that the wide - brimmed hat was used to partially shield doctors from bacteria .
when did the distinctive look stop being worn . the miasma theory of disease was being phased out in the 1860s , but still debated , and there were outbreaks of bubonic plague in the 1900s , such as in sydney australia . if one is making this kit , to what period can it be considered appropriate ?
the first wave was the worst , killing some 25 million in europe alone . by 1400 — a mere 50 years after the pandemic began — various epidemics and resurgence had reduced the world’s population from about 450 million to between 350 and 300 million , maybe less . roughly 150 million individuals succumbed to the nightmarish symptoms of the black plague .
they did . besides how would you know ? there was not much you could do in those days , compared to the medicine and stuff going around these days . some people , according to historians , were saved . what if the plague was going on now and you’re just saying “we shouldn’t honour them” when they tried to save lives ? !
plague doctors were sometimes requested to take part in autopsies , and were often called upon to testify and witness wills and other important documents for the dead and dying . not surprisingly , many a dishonest doc took advantage of bereaved families , holding out false hope for cures and charging extra fees ( even though they were supposed to be paid by the government and not their patients ) .
to say people didn’t know much about the plague was an understatement . from its origins , to its spread , to its cure , the physicians whose sole purpose was to treat this infamous killer knew little more than those whom they were treating . they did , however , understand one thing with perfect clarity : the fact that it spread quickly and easily . desperate times called for desperate measures .
once the plague’s full force was felt , it didn’t take long for most reputable and well - trained doctors to recognize its vicious and virulent nature . moreover , any physician with even a lick of sense soon realized that the
cures
being employed were anything but , and sometimes even accelerated the death spiral . and so , most of them ran away . it was really the only sensible thing to do .
the fourteenth century had devastating moments because of the plague . in sieges infected corpses were thrown into the city with catapults . fishing and commercial boats remained directionless with all the dead crew . entire villages were deserted when all its inhabitants died . the economy practically disappeared and social chaos was present . in the beginning it was thought that the jewish community were the cause of this new disease , so many civilians began jewish pogroms .
despite the fact that de l’orme himself lived to the ripe old age of 96 — an impressive feat for a physician living in the plague years — his famous contribution to medicine probably did very little to quell the actual spread of the disease . the beak doctors , as they came to be know , dropped like flies or pretty much lived under constant quarantine , wandering the countryside and city streets like pariahs . . . until of course desperate families needed them .
especially with the second mask i could easily picture the elongated mouth piece and filter , slowly becoming a more compact , beak design , as technology gradually allows for the miniaturisation of filters , in a steampunk alternate timeline . it could also be considered a way to pay homage to the plague doctors , who in a way , were inventors as well , at least attempting to create what could be considered an early iteration of a gas mask to protect themselves , to the best of their ability .
when the rats and fleas carrying yersinia pestis surreptitiously hitched a ride down the silk road with merchants and soldiers , no one could have predicted the toll this taste for spices and the latest in luxury goods would have on the population of europe . after decimating tens of millions starting in china , it raced though central asia and northern india . the bubonic plague made official landfall in sicily in 1347 . within five years , it had spread to virtually all of europe , russia and the middle east .
the plague ( which we now know to be a bacterial infection of yersinia pestis ) was horrifying effective . it has a 50 % survival rate and successfully knocked out 150 million of the world’s population . and it still exists . in the united states there are a few dozen cases a year ( usually in the southern states where is spreads via rodents , ) but the disease is now treatable with antibiotics . when a case arises , there is protocol to track down and destroy the rodents responsible for spreading the illness .
in the 17th and 18th centuries the plague doctors invented masks to protect themselves from “bad air” and prevent contagion . these masks have lenses on the eyes and a long cavity in the nose , which was filled with drugs and aromatic items . this cavity measuring about half foot in length , had 2 small vent holes , and its shape was very similar to beaks of birds . at the beak were used substances such as ambergris , mint leaves , storax , myrrh , laudanum , rose petals , camphor , cloves and straw .
it ' s no wonder that we still see plague doctors as a symbol of fear after all this time , the black death had a habit of visiting places again and again . like a fear of spiders or snakes or clowns , the fear of these symbols has become instinctual . so whether you ' re dressing up as a doc from the middle ages or a character out of a horror film , when you enter the room in this get - up , you ' re sure to see all of your patients run out .
to minimize skin exposure , doctors tucked the neckline of their long overcoat behind the mask . the coat extended down to the feet and was often completely coated with suet ( a hard , white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle and sheep , usually used in puddings and pastries ) or wax . doctors thought the suet could draw the plague away from the flesh of the infected or the wax could repel it . it ' s also thought that the wax could have just been used to keep bodily fluids from clinging to the coat .
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arnott 's biscuits limited is australia 's largest producer of biscuits and the second-largest supplier of snack food .

it is a subsidiary of the campbell soup company of the united states .

arnott ' s biscuits

get inspired with our collection of tasty recipes using some of australia’s favourite arnott’s biscuits .
arnott ' s assorted creams biscuits 1 . 5kg bulk pack $ 13 . 55
arnott ' s family assorted biscuits 1 . 5kg bulk pack $ 13 . 10
find out everything that ' s happening in the world of arnott ' s .
“we all know that it’s cold and that “shrinkage” happens , but it’s a shame that it’s happening to your biscuits . ”
the first popular biscuits were essentially what we refer to as ‘plain biscuits’ . these biscuits were either sweet or savoury and retailed in bulk . the distinctive brightly decorated arnott’s biscuits tins with the iconic rainbow lorikeet image became an important part of our retail culture and was even extended to the arnott’s delivery trucks .
arnott ' s joined forces with peter ' s ice cream to develop four new flavours .
kingston biscuits were the last of the assorted creams to roll off the production line at arnott ' s burwood plant last night , marking the end of about 50 years of arnott ' s biscuit manufacturing in melbourne .
earlier this week , arnott’s announced they had joined forces with peter’s ice - cream to roll out four new flavours .
arnott’s biscuits were originally delivered in tins . tins were returned and recycled . however , biscuit tins which were damaged or broken were crushed . many were buried under the car park and arnott’s bowling green ( which is now part of the powell’s creek corridor ) .
check out our newest products and promotions across all your favourite arnott ' s brands .
millions of australians have grown up with arnott’s over the past 150 years . for them , arnott’s is more than a food company – it’s a piece of australia’s history and a national icon . arnott’s portfolio of brands includes household names like tim tam , shapes , iced vovo , sao , vita - weat , salada and tiny teddy .
and for those of us who were fond of arnott’s assorted creams – here’s an advertisement for them , again courtesy of the australian women’s weekly ( may 1970 ) .
there was also a snob factor , especially after ww1 , with women preferring to offer neater , uniform biscuits rather than rough homemade biscuits . they had seen the ‘perfect hostess’ handing around a dish of arnott’s – to everyone’s apparent delight . this move to manufactured brand biscuits also reflected the importance placed on morning and afternoon tea .
you should contact arnott’s directly . i am unaware of any tours of the new arnott’s factory at huntingwood . i noticed an article in time out about a visit to the factory urltoken
arnott’s has indicated they may not take any action if the products are withdrawn from sale today .
share your arnott’s stories , pictures or facts with us , we’d love to hear from you .
susan massasso , asia - pacific marketing director of arnott ' s biscuits , concurs : ' ' it ' s still a tradition to have a jar of biscuits at home to break out . if someone drops in and you click the kettle and put biscuits on a plate you are saying , ' welcome … come , sit , share ' . ' '
“disgraceful , deceptive , rip off and turn off ! ” one person wrote on arnott’s facebook page .
police had alleged thomas threatened to poison arnott ' s biscuits unless four nsw police officers took lie detector tests over evidence they gave against her son , convicted murderer ronald henry thomas .
you might be surprised to learn just how many delicious types of arnott’s biscuits there are . from sweet to savoury , chocolate to fruit , indulgence to simple pleasures ; it’s no wonder millions of australians have grown up , celebrated , relaxed , indulged and sustained themselves with our biscuits . for 150 years , arnott’s has been baking quality into our biscuits using the finest ingredients . there’s simply no other biscuit brand that has been loved by so many for so long . come and explore our world of biscuity deliciousness , made to bring everyone together .
arnott ' s bakes four different ginger nuts to suit the tastes of people in each state and territory .
groups of workers hugged and swapped telephone numbers as bright red arnott ' s trucks filed through the gates .
connect with us to find out more about the arnott ' s business and learn about working with us .
arnott’s said that the company chose to reduce the size rather than charge retailers extra to stock the products .
some tins were melted and used for land reclamation in nearby mason park . albert mason was the mayor of homebush and chief electrician of arnott’s biscuits . the park is named after him .
biscuits p403 butternut snap / choc ripple portion control 2 pack $ 34 . 01
a forensic biologist ' s change of mind about dna evidence today ended the case against an elderly woman accused of the 1997 arnott ' s biscuit extortion .
around 30 million packs of this chockie bikkie are sold each year – that’s nearly 300 million biscuits , or two packets for every australian . on a per capita basis , they are the world’s biggest - selling chocolate biscuits . and in case you were wondering :
in april , arnott’s angered customers when it overhauled its shapes recipes to improve the lunch box snack’s health star rating . many described the new flavours as “disgusting” .
in the 1960s , a series of amalgamations resulted in those different companies coming under the arnott ' s banner .
following customer backlash , arnott’s told urltoken that they were forced to resurrect the original recipe because of “popular demand” .
this site is the only historic industrial site that the arnott family used as a bakery and represents their origins in the area they settled , after arriving from scotland . many see this site as , if not the birthplace of the arnott ' s biscuits , at least a significant component of the company’s origins .
portion controlled arnotts butternut snap and farmbake chocolate chip biscuits carton 150 $ 32 . 80
i don’t know . maybe contact arnott’s directly whether they have maintained one of the old trucks for viewing or promotion .
we make four different ones to suit the tastes of people in different states ,
nicky thomson from arnott ' s told abc radio canberra ' s lish fejer .
of the thousands of workers arnott’s employed , details of their generosity have filtered down through employee’s relatives of the memories , heartfelt stories that are relayed to us nearly everyday .
the arnott’s factory was relocated to huntingwood in 1997 and the homebush factory was closed . the former factory has been readapted into the bakehouse quarter . this site provides many references to its arnott’s history ranging from the sao sign to small arnott’s parrot emblems woven into building facades . george st has been recast with a cobblestone road and edwardian style - lighting harking back to the days in the early twentieth century when the arnott factory was first built .
arnott’s exports continue to grow , with our australian - made biscuits now being shipped to more than 40 countries around the world including japan , the usa , canada , united kingdom , indonesia , tahiti and new zealand .
biscuits are linked to moments from childhood and remind people of their parents or grandparents or best friends , so there ' s that nostalgia factor .
arnott’s , australia’s largest biscuit supplier , is threatening legal action against donut chain krispy kreme for alleged violation of their “iced vo - vo” trademark – which they first registered in 1906 .
but i love the orange slice ! always had them at my grandma ' s so they bring back beautiful childhood memories . don ' t ever take them away arnott ' s !
join our facebook community for all the latest in all things arnott ' s , as well as recipe ideas and cooking inspiration .
the biscuit shelves of supermarkets now offer rows and rows of biscuits . it wasn’t always so .
arnott’s biscuits were originally established in newcastle . the first sydney factory was opened at forest lodge in 1894 . in 1905 , the arnott family wanting to expand , decided that a larger factory was required . requiring access to the railway for transportation , the arnott’s purchased a six and half acre site at homebush in 1906 . the factory was designed by architect charles slatyer and built in 1907 at a cost of £10 , 400 .
for over 150 years , arnott ' s has been bringing families together to share delicious sweet moments over its famous biscuits . come and explore our range , from simple everyday pleasures , creamy - centred treats and indulgent cookies to iconic fancy topped favourites , playful kid’s fun and fruity delights .
ms thomson said while small variances between bakes and batches were inevitable , arnott ' s had learnt to keep changes to a minimum .
arnott’s is copping another backlash , after the company decided to cut the size of shapes and tiny teddies — but not the price .
biscuit making , biscuit eating and the purchasing of packaged commercially manufactured biscuits have all experienced social change .
the homebush factory had little difficulty in finding workers in the district and it has been commented that there were few families in homebush who didn’t work for arnott’s . the arnott’s were regarded as good employers . during the economic depression of the 1930s , arnotts reduced the operational hours of the factory rather than dismissing their workers , which was the usual practice . many members of the arnott family lived in strathfield , including the founder william arnott .
during world war ii , arnott’s kept its customers informed about the reasons it was not producing as many ‘favourites’ . their factories were working at full capacity to fulfil war orders ( presumably sending shredded wheat biscuits and other basic staples to soldiers on the front line ) . australian women’s weekly – 16 january 1943 .
william arnott was born on the 6th december 1827 in pathhead , fifeshire , scotland to david millie & isabella arnott . he was the first of 8 children .
' ' like vegemite and sitting in the front seat of a taxi , the biscuits we eat define our nationality , ' ' massasso says . when campbell ' s took over arnott ' s in 1992 , the american conglomerate was told that it messed with the parrot at its peril . australians would not stand for their biscuits being americanised … they must be australian - made to traditional recipes and never called cookies . ' ' campbell ' s respected that and preserved the portfolio . ' '
a few of the early sea biscuits have survived in museums because they had been painted on – the sailors used the hard biscuits to paint maritime scenes of whale hunting , sailors relaxing , jack ashore pictures etc similar to scrimjaw and sea - chest paintings . the painted biscuits were usually sold to buy drinks when they went ashore .
more than 50 , 000 australians have worked with arnott’s during the past century . today , arnott’s employs around 2 , 400 australians across all states and territories . we also employ several thousand people across the asia pacific region , in countries such as new zealand , indonesia , malaysia , singapore and japan .
the purchase was known as ‘arnott’s folly’ as the site was considered too far from the city to attract workers . however , the homebush factory which opened in 1908 was eventually the largest in the southern hemisphere and exported biscuits from homebush to the rest of the world .
follow us to stay up - to - date with arnott ' s news and be the first to find out about new products , offers and competitions .
the arnott family went on to make a great contribution to australia’s development and provided an example of hard work and entrepreneurial business activity for others to follow .
hard tack biscuits were important to the fledgling colony of botany bay , especially when it experienced lean times . by the goldrushes of the 1950s flour replaced the need for biscuits and we developed many damper recipes to fill our empty bellies .
in the latter half of the 19th century and well into the 20th , weekly baking of cakes , bread and biscuits was common . many of the early biscuits were variations on a theme – no self - respecting australian woman , in the city or bush , would want to be caught out without a stash of biscuits in case friends arrived unannounced .
our delicious range of savoury biscuits are designed to give a real flavour hit . pick up a box of your favourite shapes today – there’s a flavour to suit every mood and occasion !
you may be interested in an archaelogical assessment that was written in 1995 about the arnott’s site . a copy of this assessment is available at urltoken ' s _ factory _ site . pdf ; query = strathfield ; brand = default
you would have to contact arnott’s directly . if they aren’t making the biscuit , maybe they should reveal the receipe for all the honey snap devotees out there !
if eaten as biscuits they were more likely dipped in water , tea , coffee or even brine . they were also served with the sailor’s basic stew or soup slop . it must be remembered that the general standard of dental health was bad so consumption of the biscuits must have been hard going for most sailors .
if you’re a fan of crunchy , crumbly biscuits sandwiched with mouth - watering creamy centres , then you’ll love our delicious cream biscuits . a little indulgent , but not too decadent , they’re the perfect treat for sharing with friends and loved ones .
we don’t organise tours of arnott’s factory as the factory has been redeveloped into a shopping / restaurant / office district called the bakehouse quarter , which anyone can visit .
arnott’s has reduced the size of some of their biscuit varieties , with shoppers now getting less bite for their buck when purchasing some tiny teddy and shapes snack packs .
william arnott is the great , great , great grandfather of stephen arnott , owner of morpeth sourdough . stephen , a 6th generation baker , is continuing his family tradition at the same bakehouse in morpeth where william and his brother david ran their business during the 1860’s .
a spokesman for arnott’s said in a statement to urltoken that the change was due to energy costs , and that it was a necessary move for the business to make .
six packages containing poisoned monte carlo biscuits and demand letters were sent to identities and corporations in nsw and queensland in february 1997 .
it is surprising how many australians have vivid recall of growing up near a biscuit factory way back when manufacturers were ubiquitous all over australia ' s capital cities , and savouring the aroma of biscuits being baked . one insists that even today , long after the arnott ' s bakery at sydney ' s north strathfield has been turned into a shopping and office complex , he can drive by and find his senses suffused by that heady and delicious smell .
arnott’s , which has been working with the retail food group ( the owner of the donut king franchise ) to create a range of products linked to arnott’s brands , alleges a breach of the trade marks act and trade practices act . they are consequently contemplating seeking injunctions , damages , orders for corrective advertising and / or an account of profits .
when we consolidated our baking operations to new south wales we tried to put the [ original arnott ' s ] nsw ginger nut out nationally ,
ms thomson said .
over the past decade , arnott’s has spent more than $ 3 billion purchasing raw ingredients and services from local farmers and businesses , fuelling the economy of rural and regional australia .
in 1865 , a small bakery opened on hunter st in newcastle , nsw , north of sydney . it supplied bread , pies and biscuits to the local people and to the crews of the many ships that docked at the port to load coal . from these humble beginnings rose a company whose name is now synonymous with australia’s favourite biscuits .
the first biscuits in australia were as hard as nails and , by all accounts , tasted dreadful . they were ‘sea biscuits’ , or as the old time sailors called them ‘hard tack’ or ‘ship’s biscuits’ because they were such a standby for early sailors . the word ‘tack’ was already in use to describe any ship’s food . the ‘sea biscuit’ had been introduced into the british navy in the 17th century and was traditionally made with flour , water and salt . they had an extremely long shelf life and were the saviour of many the sailor blown off course without sufficient rations . the biscuits , along with salted beef , were the staple diet and prepared in several ways to make them digestible .
a scientist ' s ute with the lot . . . it must be australia
western’s wagon wheels were extremely popular because they were the first biscuit to be sold at picture theatres . individually wrapped , large ‘wagon wheel’ shaped , these were an ideal sweet for kids about to see the next exciting serial of hopalong cassidy . my sister , eight year’s older than me , was figure - conscious and seemed to live on vita - wheat biscuits . these were extremely thin yet hardy plain biscuits . she had vegemite on hers and i had peanut butter which i would use to make ‘worms’ by pressing the paste between the biscuits until the worms started to appear .
people don ' t like change , but we ' ve learnt in particular they don ' t like their biscuits to change .
because australia ' s iconic biscuits have remained unchanged for a lifetime or longer , to many , they evoke the past . ' ' biscuits have a unique nostalgia factor and can connect us to older , perhaps happier days , ' ' arnott ' s global communications and diversity director toni jones says . ' ' my brother and i would go to my beautiful nanna ' s house and she ' d give us honey jumbles and i ' d get the pink and he ' d get the white , and today , all these years later , it takes just one bite of a honey jumble and i tear up . ' '
perfect for a snack or lighter lunch option with a bit of crunch . add your favourite fresh toppings or enjoy plain . arnott’s crispbreads are a versatile option for a healthier snack or meal .
“i have always supported arnott’s but no longer ! why are you trying to rip us off by reducing the amount of product in your boxes but at the same price ? ” another said .
arnott’s said the change also meant that the portion - sized snack - packs would now be sold in environmentally - friendly cardboard boxes “that fit better on the supermarket shelf and in your pantry” .
in august 1887 , the sydney morning herald published this comprehensive description of the arnott’s biscuit factory . the full article describes the machinery , the ingredients and the employees required to produce a weekly quota of biscuits . it also references the removal of a biscuit import duty which , despite early fears , did nothing to interfere with the popularity of the brand .
a party was held for workers between morning and afternoon shifts at the plant yesterday . tearful workers walked through the gates for the last time , clutching arnott ' s bags filled with mementos and keepsakes .
these are good cream cracker biscuits with various flavours of cream including lemon , orange , chocolate , and custard flavours . they are an ocassional treat and would be nice to serve for unexpected guests also . my favourite is the lemon because i love all things lemony and the outer biscuits are salty and different .
arnott’s is one of the largest food companies in the asia pacific region . our ongoing growth has been supported by the campbell soup company’s investment in the business and its iconic brands . it is our goal to be the best food company in the region , making everyday moments a little more delicious .
the campaign has not been well received at arnott’s though , with claims that krispy kreme are being misleading as the donut resembles the iced vo - vo biscuit and the iced dough - vo tag is phonetically similar .
saw kk advertising this when i walked past my local outlet , and thought immediately that arnott’s would be getting legal - happy over this… kk seem to be trying a little too hard to localise the menu methinks .
milk arrowroots were launched in 1888 . scotch fingers , iced vovos and saos look and taste exactly as they did when introduced in 1906 . saladas are 61 years old . tim tams date from 1964 and were named after a racehorse that had impressed arnott ' s scion ross arnott when he had a flutter at the 1958 kentucky derby .
biscuits come in square , rectangle , oval , round & animal shapes . they are large and tiny and the supermarket shelves are always bulging with stock . we australians , thankfully , continue to call these confections ‘biscuits’ and despite continual exposure to american television , and a barrage of marketing campaigns , we refuse to succumb to ‘cookies’
in 1865 william arnott established his first biscuit factory in newcastle ( having been a baker in maitland prior to then ) .
it ' s taken a great toll on her health and that ' s a matter of concern today . i ' d ask that you let her simply go home ,
he said .
australians enthusiastically bring certain words to an affectionate abbreviation . kevin becomes kev , barry baz , banana nana , and so on . biscuits are regularly referred to as ‘bickies’ .
women baked every week and usually made two or three - dozen biscuits ‘for the biscuit tin’ . as society changed , especially after federation , to reflect new labour - saving household inventions , the availability of electricity and gas , and the reality that women could also work in factories and offices , the introduction of commercially manufactured biscuits was well received .
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i know its a long shot but i am looking for records of some employees of the arnott’s factory in early 1926 . the names i am after are the surname cuneo and anne millard . i think anne was employed as a packer . does anyone know if there are records of the employee’s anywhere and if there is where i might find them .
since 1997 , arnott’s has invested more than $ 400 million in our australian biscuit facilities , including $ 40m in a fully automated biscuit packing line at our virginia bakery , which is one of the largest robotic installations of its type in the world .
in 1934 , secondary products ( biscuit caddies ) were being widely advertised – australian women’s weekly 8 september 1934 .
the distributors - best product choices and range options - australia’s leading national independent , convenience segment wholesalers and distributors .
the biscuits were also eaten straight from the ‘packet’ - which , in this case , would have been a barrel . they were prone to weevil infestation that might have added something to the taste !
it is considered that the presence of this second profile substantially weakens the prosecution case that the accused ' s dna on the stamps is only reasonably and rationally explicable as a result of the accused ' s knowing participation in the extortion .
i am currently compiling our family history and my mother ( patricia dyason ) said she worked at arnotts biscuits in homebush as a young girl before she got married . it would have been about 1943 - 1945 after she left school . she said it was her favourite place to work . she had a lot of friends there and arnotts was good work for . she also said she loved those pink vovo biscuits !
for as long as i ' ve had assorted creams , orange slice has been like the older , fatter and less attractive sibling of the creamy family . it doesn ' t really have a place these days outside a morning bingo session or christian camp . there are definitely more worthy cream biscuits that could take it ' s place .
dear managment of arnotts biscuits please do something about bringing back the good old days of honey snap biscuits , as a young lad many years ago the times spent with family with a plate of honey snaps . i believe that there is a lot of aussies that feel the same way please do consider this request . or tell me were i can get the original arnotts recipe from . there is no substitute for a arnotts biscuit .
my father told me that during the depression men would sit outside the factory waiting to be given broken biscuits . while waiting they used to draw on the footpath with chalk and he said many were quite accomplished artists .
it ' s because they ' ve either moved interstate or they ' ve bought a pack while they were travelling interstate .
ronald thomas was convicted of the shooting murders of peter wade and maureen ambrose at wade ' s gold coast unit in 1991 .
i am old enough to know and remember what arnotts cream biscuits used to taste like and these aren ' t them . ever since the americans bought arnotts there has been a very fast deterioration in size , flavour , and ingredients anything to save money . the result is such and inferior product that i have stopped buying any arnotts biscuits . i wrote to the company several times over the years and never had a response so much for customer service .
“we did receive a request from lawyers representing arnott’s that we withdraw these from the shelves in our stores because we were allegedly in breach of various trademarks , ” ceo of krispy kreme australia , john mcguigan , told the abc . “we’ve taken advice on that of course , and that advice is , that’s not the case , and that krispy kreme customers are pretty smart and they can tell the difference between a doughnut and a biscuit . ”
hello , i just wanted to enquire about the modern arnott’s factory . can one visit it ? we are curious to find out about the different technologies used in the factory in order to compare them to how they were previously . we are also interested in finding about about the production methods . thanks : )
why have they never bought back the large tin of assorted biscuits from the mid sixties . they had a dome bicky with hundreds and 1000snds and iced bickies my favorite they were extremely popular . can anybody name the other bickies in the tin .
biscuit manufacture was not always so sublime . ' ' the colony ' s first biscuits were ' hard tack ' , comprised of flour , water and salt , ' ' fahey says . ' ' they were hard as rocks and tasted awful . ' ' it took pioneering ingenuity to render them digestible . the biscuit was pulverised into powder , which was mixed with water and whatever else was handy to provide taste . fahey says : ' ' a popular method was to mix the powder with pig ' s blood , egg powder , more flour and salt , and then fashion them into large pancakes which were fried in pig ' s fat . these were called ' blood pancakes ' . if there was nothing to mix with the powder , water was simply added and it became a gruel known as ' cracker hash ' . biscuits were stored in a barrel , and were prone to weevil infestation … which could only have improved the taste . ' '
my mother , who is in her mid 90’s , would love to hear any news about her uncle or that long lost branch of her family .
mr rutledge said mr blair , of queensland ' s john tonge centre , now agreed with mr szabo the stamps contained the dna profiles of two people .
the sao , first sold in 1906 , is a dry cracker , better enjoyed with butter , vegemite or tomato , than unadorned . perhaps more interesting than the biscuit itself is the genesis of its name . theories abound : that ' ' sao ' ' is an acronym for salvation army officer , because founder william arnott ' s son arthur was a salvo ; that it was the name of a sailing boat moored at sydney ' s royal yacht squadron ; that it was in honour of a woman named catherine sao , whose claim to fame seems to have been lost to time . another theory goes that samuel arnott was doodling his initials on a pad … and added an ' ' o ' ' .
arnott’s lawyers have sent a request to krispy kreme to cease the use of the “iced dough - vo” for one of their new range of donuts by no later than 5pm today , the abc reported . the iced dough - vo is one of a range of australian flavours the donut retailer is using as part of an “australiana” theme running until june 8 .
the plant ' s closure was announced 18 months ago , and more than 200 workers lost their jobs as operations wound down . the final 131 finished yesterday .
writer peter luck calls the humble milk arrowroot - 125 years old this year - ' ' a biscuit you could trust … a good , solid biscuit you could fight a war on , win a footy grand final on , get married on and raise another whole generation of babies on ' ' . in an early ad for the oval - shaped , eminently dunkable , starch - rich bikkie made from flour and the arrowroot vegetable , the manufacturer spruiked that they had the power to help babies grow : ' ' how doth the busy little boy get bigger every hour ? arnott ' s milk arrowroot biscuits gave him health and power ! ' '
' ' since the late 1800s , ' ' fahey says , ' ' biscuits have been a symbol of community spirit ' ' , as loved ones , friends and workmates down tools to have a bite and a sip and natter about family intrigue , politics , sport and the price of fish : ' ' it ' s pleasant and it ' s calming . ' ' kevin rudd acknowledged the ritual on election victory night , 2007 , when advising his wired and celebrating staff to settle down with a cup of tea and an iced vovo before the hard work of governing the nation began next day .
top 7 reasons why australia rejects imported foods at the border the assistant director of australia’s imported food section , mr stuart grant , has revealed why many . . .
tim tams were first launched in 1963 . they were named after a horse that ran in the kentucky derby in 1958 . a member of the arnott family , ross arnott , attended the race day and decided ‘tim tam’ was the perfect name for the new biscuit he was about to launch . enthusiasts for the biscuit say that a taste sensation can be obtained by biting off one end and sucking tea or coffee through the biscuit .
corner shops , before shopping malls and convenience stores , were usually well - run family businesses . no self service here as uniformed mum and dad responded to your shopping list . the biscuits were served either from the tins or from the ‘broken biscuit box’ . the latter being considerably cheaper .
phyllis mander - jones , ' arnott , william ( 1827–1901 ) ' , australian dictionary of biography , national centre of biography , australian national university , urltoken published first in hardcopy 1969 , accessed online 10 july 2018 .
the crown case hinged on the evidence of a forensic biologist , barry blair , who found the stamps sent to mr boe ' s office only contained dna consistent with that of thomas .
in addition , william arnott and his wife were dedicated to the church and the community during their life . they committed much of their spare time to helping the needy and as such there are several plaques in the hunter valley commemorating this contribution .
liquor , hospitality and miscellaneous workers union , assistant secretary , terry breheny , said the union was angered by the plant ' s closure , and would work to avoid a similar situation in the future .
neither wilkes or baker provides clues of when this slang first appeared . they do agree that it is used in the context : “do you want some tea and bickies ? ” and that it has also entered our colloquial language to mean large amounts of money = “he was holding big bickies . ” and in statements such as “he was not the full packet of biscuits . ”
my grandmother’s maiden name was greenland and she grew up in waratah , a suburb of newcastle , in the late 1800s . her brother , harry greenland , worked as an accountant for arnotts in newcastle and then in homebush .
when i was young in the 1950s you had a sweet plain square biscuit named either ‘lemon cream’ or ‘cream lemon’ biscuits . they were beautiful . then in later times there was a round biscuit called ‘tea cake’ with lattice pattern on the top and fluted around the edge . why have they discontinued these ? also i think a nice plain sweet biscuit would be the ‘monte carlo’ without the cream .
his life’s achievement was as the entrepreneur who built one of the largest biscuit companies in the world . an iconic australian brand that is deemed the second most prestigious and well known trademark in australia ( the abc logo is the first ) by ip australia .
geoff storer , who worked in the factory ' s mixing department for nearly 30 years , said it was an emotional day .
i ' m a little sad . . . they pulled the mat out from under us , but i ' ve had a good innings ,
he said .
considering the vast quantity of tea and coffee consumed in the 19th and 20th centuries it is probably not surprising that our biscuit consumption ( where available ) was extremely high . ( i refer readers to the articles section of the site where a history of tea and coffee drinking is available . ) . older australians will find it easy to imagine the ‘tea ladies’ who pushed their trolleys down factory and office aisles and the ‘honour’ system whereby those who took biscuits would put some money into the kitty . the usual rate was twenty pence a day .
from all reports hugh jackman is a congenial guy , but today he was miffed . he and nicole kidman were on oprah in 2008 spruiking their new movie australia , and to mark the occasion the actor gifted the host and each member of the studio audience with an australian national treasure , the tim tam . all was going munchingly well … then disaster . oprah thanked hugh for the cookies . cookies ! ' ' tim tams are biscuits ! ' ' hugh put her straight . ' ' in australia , we don ' t have cookies . we have bikkies ! ' '
arnott was survived by his wife ( d . 1902 ) , two sons and two daughters of his first marriage and five sons and three daughters of the second . the sons of his first marriage , leslie and samuel , became chairmen of directors of the business and were succeeded by their half - brothers , william , john maclean and halse rogers ; while robert fleming became an engineer and arthur smith a colonel in the salvation army .
+ this is a great australian family biscuit . it is made in australia . i like the lemon flavoured biscuit the best because it is very different to the others , not so sugary in my opinion . the monte carlo ' s are great and are always a hit . it is nice to dip into a coffee or hot chocolate .
william arnott ' s success was founded on hard work , integrity and insistence on quality . he was a sincere christian , noted for his lovable and kindly nature . he and his wife were active in philanthropic work and the wesleyan church . in 1857 he was elected a trustee of the church in maitland ; in newcastle he was connected with the sunday school for twenty - four years , in twenty of which he was superintendent . an example of his honesty in business dealings was in 1883 when he repaid in full his 1862 maitland creditors ; they presented him with an address and a gold medal and held a luncheon in his honour . one of his recreations was rifle shooting . he joined the volunteer rifle corps in 1860 and won the first three contests for the silver belt presented by the mayor of maitland .
the first task was to smash the biscuit with a hammer to render it into powder form ( yes , they were that hard ! ) . the powder ( sometimes called ’dust’ and this possibly explains why some bushmen called flour by the same name ) was then mixed with water and whatever was available to provide taste . a popular method was to mix the powder with pig’s blood , egg powder more flour and salt , and then fashion them into large pancakes which were fried in pig’s fat . these were called ‘blood pancakes’ . another recipe saw the powder soaked in water with raisins to make ‘dandy funk’ . if there was nothing to mix with the powder it was simply mixed with water and eaten like a gruel known as ‘cracker hash’ .
' ' in an age of short - lived fads and virtual reality , we cherish the real and enduring , ' ' massasso says . ' ' it ' s comforting to consume a product made from basic , timeless , unadulterated ingredients - eggs , milk , flour and sugar - that have been baked in an oven . baking in itself is an ancient and generous act involving patience , skill and sharing the results . ' '
in 1888 the family moved to mayfield , near newcastle , and in 1893 arnott left his sons in charge and visited scotland with his wife and a daughter . on his return in 1894 he bought a factory in sydney and took his sons into partnership . he had some forty employees in 1880 and by 1894 the number had increased to nearly eight hundred in sydney and newcastle . he retired in 1899 and moved to strathfield near sydney , where he died on 22 july 1901 . for several years the management of the business had been left to his sons but he had supported the plan for a new factory , built at homebush between 1906 and 1908 .
if you ' re a fan of the ginger nut , you may have noticed something odd — the iconic aussie biscuit differs depending on which state or territory you ' re in .
from colour , texture and taste to packet size and labelling , ginger nuts vary greatly across the border .
the recipes for the four varieties date back to 1906 and were originally baked by different biscuit companies across the country .
but we got told by people in different states , who had been enjoying ginger nuts made by different biscuit companies , that they preferred the one they were used to .
so the regional varieties have been maintained , despite all now being baked in the same facility in huntingwood in new south wales .
the ingredients list are actually really similar between the four different varieties ; what changes is how long we bake them for and how much of each ingredient goes into different bakes ,
ms thomson said .
the four ginger nuts ( from left ) victoria , queensland , sa / wa / nt and nsw / act .
when laid out on a plate , each of the ginger nuts is noticeably different in size , colour and texture .
according to ms thomson , the nsw / act ginger nut is the thickest and the hardest and
the best for dunking in a cup of tea
.
the queensland recipe is
thin , sweet and darker in colour — more like a gingerbread - style biscuit .
in victoria and tasmania , ginger nuts are bigger , softer and sweeter , and
closest to traditional ginger nuts from overseas
.
the south australian / west australian / northern territory version looks similar to its victorian counterpart but is sweeter .
growing your own tea at home could do more than just benefit your wallet .
we often get phone calls and contact from people saying , ' what have you done to the ginger nut ? you ' ve changed them and we ' re not happy about it ' ,
ms thomson said .
sometimes a box of nsw ginger nuts accidently gets delivered to a shop in queensland , and then we have quite a few people [ contact us ] .
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krispy kreme appears unconcerned by the threat , however , advising that they will not remove the iced dough - vo from their menu .
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charges against joy ellen thomas , 72 ( 72 ) of tweed heads , were dropped in the brisbane district court just as she was about to stand trial .
thomas was charged with four counts of extortion after her dna was found on two stamps attached to a demand letter sent to the offices of solicitor andrew boe .
but the department of public prosecutions today dismissed the charges five years after the alleged extortion bid .
but prosecutor paul rutledge told the court today mr blair had changed his mind this week after speaking to forensic biologist laszlo szabo , who tested the stamps for the defence .
the second profile is very weak - it is not sufficient to identify the person who placed it on the stamp ,
mr rutledge said .
taking into account that fact . . . the prosecution is of the view that the case against joy ellen thomas is not sufficiently strong to justify the proceedings continuing .
mr rutledge earlier told the court it was not possible to say whether the dna was as a result of a deposit of saliva or some other mechanism such as someone coughing in the presence of the stamps .
it is also not possible to date at what stage the dna was originally deposited on the stamps ,
he said .
thomas refused to comment as she left the court today surrounded by her lawyer and family members .
mr swanson said thomas was likely to make a statement about the conduct of the john tonge centre early next week .
the john tonge centre , funded by queensland health , manages the examination of human and other materials used as evidence in inquests and serious criminal trials .
a criminal justice commission report last year found best - practice policies were not followed or enforced at the centre and the recording of specimens were
open to error
.
mr storer from ashwood said he was a
local boy
and was sorry he couldn ' t stay at the factory until he retired .
jana samardzija loved working at the factory and does not know what she will do now :
i started here when i was 22 , and in the middle of your life you have to look for something new . . . i see monday come , and in the morning where do i go ?
it is the breakdown of a family , a community that has been together for the last 20 and 30 years ,
he said .
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mark colvin presents pm monday to friday from 5 : 10pm on radio national and 6 : 10pm on abc local radio . join mark for the latest current affairs , wrapping the major stories of each day .
this is a transcript from pm . the program is broadcast around australia at 5 : 10pm on radio national and 6 : 10pm on abc local radio .
get up to date news and information , as well as recipe ideas and inspiration .
whats going on with the monte carlos ? ? less and less cream filling , its getting a bit sparce now . i swear they use to almost go to the edges and was thicker 😢 .
are you a fan of the buttery scotch finger snap ? do you do the monte carlo twist ? have you experienced the tim tam slam or the flavours of shapes ? our bestsellers are delicious favourites for a reason . come and discover them here .
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indeed we do , and why do these crisp or crumbly , sweet , chocolate or savoury , square , round , oval or animal - shaped morsels inspire such feisty affection and lifelong loyalty ? ' ' stopping to dunk a cheap and delicious biscuit in a cuppa at home or in the office and factory is enshrined in the fabric of our society , ' ' folklorist and biscuit aficionado warren fahey says .