[Johann Gregor Gutturff: the life and work of a plague barber on the 17th century].

Johann Gregor Gutturff was a plague barber in the Dresden epidemic of 1680, and important records of his life and work have survived. Largely ignored by plague research, the source material provides detailed insight into the quasi-medical work and everyday life of a plague barber. The sources provide information relating to medical diagnosis and treatment; the barber's relationship to his patients; and the public's perception of the barber and his work. There is also a good deal to be learned relating to Johann Gregor Gutturff himself: his self-perception as a person suffering from plague, his experience under the plague regiment, and other opinions and reflections. Last but not least, this study attests to the existence of numerous unevaluated archival materials, which can be systematically analysed to create new avenues of historical description (historiography) and epidemiology.