SCP-049 The plague doctor

Source

What is SCP-049?
SCP-049 is an entity that resembles a medieval plague doctor. You might think that the suit is clothing, but it’s actually part of its body—the white mask even has a bone structure underneath. The black robe is believed to be the equivalent of its skin.

Now, what does SCP-049 do? It has the habit of selecting random individuals and declaring that they are “infected by the plague” and must be cured. SCP-049 then proceeds to “cure” them by killing them through a simple touch. After that, it performs a surgical procedure, lasting about 20 minutes,on the body. To avoid being disturbed during the operation, SCP-049 will kill anyone nearby. Once the procedure is complete, the subject is reanimated, but now acts like a zombie and attacks anyone around them. These reanimated corpses are classified as SCP-049-2.

SCP-049 is generally not aggressive as long as it does not perceive a “plague” in someone. Because of this, the Foundation has contained and utilized it for multiple research purposes, as the risks are relatively low (especially compared to SCP-682, for example). For many years, the Foundation believed the entity was incapable of speech. However, it was later revealed that SCP-049 can communicate fluently in English. During one recorded incident, Doctor Haam was documenting his latest analysis when SCP-049 suddenly spoke, mistaking the scientist for a medical doctor. SCP-049 then complimented the cleanliness of the facility and the absence of “the plague”. It was later discovered that SCP-049’s behavior had notably changed after an encounter with SCP-035.

Below you can find an extract of the discussion, the interesting part is that SCP-049 acknowledge his cure is not yet effective, it make me wonder what would be an effective cure for him ?
Dr. Hamm: You think you cured those people?
SCP-049: Indeed. My cure is most effective.
Dr. Hamm: The things we recovered were not human.
SCP-049: (Pauses and glares at Dr. Hamm) Yes, well, it is not a perfect cure. But that will come with time. And further experimentation! I have spent a lifetime developing my methods, Dr. Hamm, and will spend a lifetime more, if necessary. Now, we have wasted too much time. There is work to do! I will require a laboratory of my own, one where I can continue my research unimpeded. And assistants, of course, though I can provide those on my own, in time. (Laughs)

It would be fascinating to see if SCP-049 can detect this “plague” in other SCP entities. This could provide insight into whether SCP-049 might be able to terminate SCP-682—or how SCP-682 might adapt to avoid death. To this day, it remains unknown what SCP-049 detects in its victims that makes it decide they are infected.