Move over MSG and food coloring because Victorian food additives were in a league of their own. In an attempt to achieve that coveted whiteness, bakers would sometimes incorporate chalk and alum into their dough, while more unconventional ingredients like pipeclay, plaster of Paris, or even sawdust found their way into the mix.
If you thought that was concerning, wait until you hear about brewers who, when low on hops, resorted to adding strychnine—a toxic pesticide—to their beer. And let’s not forget about the ever-present lead, which seemed to be everywhere. From red lead used to color Gloucester cheese to copper sulfates employed in preserving fruit, jams, and wine, the Victorians certainly had a knack for unwittingly inviting danger into their diets. Yikes indeed!
The Grave Robbing Career
To understand biology, scientists, doctors, and aspiring students needed real human bodies for study. However, the question remained: where would they obtain these bodies? While some science enthusiasts might be willing to donate their bodies posthumously, the supply was simply insufficient. Enter the macabre solution: professional grave robbers. Under the cloak of darkness, these daring individuals would creep into town graveyards, exhuming bodies to meet the demand.
Remarkably, experts in the medical field were willing to pay a handsome price for these stolen cadavers, making grave robbing a somewhat viable profession for those with a strong stomach and a lack of squeamishness. It was a truly bizarre time, where the boundaries between science, ethics, and the taboo blurred. Fortunately, modern medical education has evolved, and ethical practices now ensure a proper and respectful supply of anatomical specimens for study.
Wife Selling
Divorce, a legal impossibility in England until the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, didn't deter people from experiencing marital woes and seeking separation. However, the methods employed were far from what we would consider civilized today. In those times, the sentiments and desires of women held little weight. If a man found himself dissatisfied with his partner, he had the audacity to bring her to the market, treating her as a mere commodity to be sold to the highest bidder.
The scene must have been heart-wrenching and undeniably tragic. Yet, astonishingly, these auctions became public spectacles, drawing crowds eager for entertainment, despite the undeniable pain and humiliation endured by the individuals involved. It's a grim reminder of the societal norms and disregard for human dignity that once prevailed.
Child Emigration
The United Kingdom was overwhelmed with orphans at the time. According to writer and historian Sarah Wise (via Spitalfields Life), 30,000 children were living on London streets in 1869. Moneyed philanthropists set up some schools to teach the kids practical skills, but it was simply too hard to teach and 'employ' all of these children.
One woman named Annie Parlane MacPherson started an emigration program. She founded the Home Children scheme, sending poor and orphaned children to other colonies of the British Empire. Thousands upon thousands of these kids were sent to farms or homes around the world to be laborers or domestic servants.
Burning Hair
In the 1800s, curly hair was the epitome of style, but the technology of curling irons was still in its early stages. These primitive tools resembled nothing more than tongs that had to be heated in a fire. Unfortunately, the iron would often become scorching hot, resulting in hair getting singed and burned off. Consequently, many Victorian women found themselves with unsightly bald patches.
Astonishingly, rather than abandoning the dangerous curling methods, women turned to teas and various remedies in their quest to restore their hair. Some even resorted to bathing in ammonia, believing it would miraculously stimulate hair growth. It's a testament to the lengths people would go to achieve the beauty standards of their time, even if it meant subjecting themselves to questionable practices with little scientific basis.