Jobs That Killed You!

Most of us are pretty well off these days in the jobs we have. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty to hate and plenty of things to improve but compared to the past....well things are positively dandy.

Little Match Girls

 
How would you have fancied working at the Bryant & May match factory in Bow London during the 1800s? Cheap female labour was the norm here. You would work in a cramped room for around 14 hours straight, dipping the matchsticks into phosphorus. You would be regarded as an expendable and easily replaceable worker and you had to pay for the materials you used.

This phosphorus was a highly toxic substance, which, if used long enough in a slapdash way, would result in a “phossy jaw”. Initially you probably thought that you had a simple toothache, but eventually, your jaw would swell and disintegrate and give off a green glow. The only treatment available at this time in history was to remove the jaw bone, otherwise, the whole body would be slowly poisoned.

Archival drawing from c19th of phossy jaw

Working In A Cotton Mill

During the Industrial Revolution in Britain, cotton was a very important product. However, a cotton mill was not a safe or healthy place to work, as the filaments of cotton saturated the air. This cotton dust would eventually lead to what was commonly called the "brown lung" or in medical circles, byssinosis.

Byssinosis would lead to coughing, wheezing, lung scarring and death from infection or respiratory failure. Today, it is thought that bacteria which grew in the cotton dust had a direct role in the disease.  

Tanning Those Hides

Most of us probably take our leather shoes for granted. In the old days, though, and still in some undeveloped parts of the world, tanning animals hides was/is a hideous job that will likely kill you, or at least make you pretty sick. It was also a rather stinky trade which was generally relegated to the outskirts of town.

Cheshire Tannery Employees, Keene, New Hampshire, US

The gross skins first needed to be soaked in a mixture of water and lime for a few weeks. Then, these odorous skins were removed and the blood and fur would need to be scraped off. Keep in mind that these skins were stinky, encrusted with rotting matter and slimy to the touch.

After this, the residual lime and gunk would be removed by marinating the skin in a mixture of dog poo and water, which was often heated. Sometimes, the tanner would also have to put his hands in this wonderful soup and kneed the skin to speed up the process. The doggy-doo would soften the skins and make them more flexible for shoe or bag making.

Children often had the job of collecting the doggy-doo and they would be paid a pittance for it. And tanneries were full of smoke, chemicals and bacteria and not very good for your health or hopes of a long life.



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