some Strange and Disgusting Facts About Victorian Britain
The prim British in the era of the reign of Queen Victoria seem to be an example of decorum and good manners. But It’s hard to imagine we found some disturbing facts of the victorian era.
Doctors of that era treated hysteria in women with masturbation.
In those days, female “hysteria” (i.e. restlessness, irritability, nervousness, and other similar symptoms) was seen as a serious problem. But doctors have discovered that these symptoms can be relieved temporarily with “finger massage in the intimate area,” which, if done correctly, will cause “hysterical paroxysm.”
Women’s underwear was open in the crotch area
Victorian pantaloons were, as it were, cut in two, the halves for each leg were cut separately and connected with ties or buttons at the waist, on the back. Thus the crotch was opened, which could be very convenient in certain cases, which we, being very well-mannered, will not mention.
Menstruation at that time was just a bloody nightmare
Many historians believe that due to the lack of special hygiene products at that time and the fact that women’s clothing consisted of many layers of fabric, most women during menstruation did nothing at all and allowed blood secretions to freely flow out and soak into petticoats. Other solutions to the delicate problem were the use of cloth diapers, which were fastened with a belt, or sheep’s wool, which was glued to the vulva with lard. Thank God modern women have pads and tampons.
The Thames was so full of feces, garbage, and dead animals that you could walk on it.
By 1860, about a thousand tons of feces were dumped into the waters of the Thames every day, since there was simply no other storage for sewage. Теnd at the same time, the river was the main source of drinking water for the inhabitants of London. People were dying like flies from dysentery, cholera and typhoid, believing that dirty air was to blame. Oh, how wrong they were!
The streets of the cities in those days were no less disgusting
A written certificate from 1891 by Lady Harburton states that during a short walk around London, the hem of her long dress gathered together: two cigar butts, nine cigarettes, a piece of pork pie, four toothpicks, two hairpins, a piece of cat food, half the sole of a shoe, a bar of tobacco (chewed), straw, dirt, scraps of paper and God knows what else.
In the 1960s, crinolines became so wide that women got stuck indoors.
The “Age of Crinolines” lasted from 1850 to 1870. At that time, the dome-shaped shirred skirt became the basis of the women’s toilet, the shape of which was given by numerous petticoats. Sometimes a lady in such an outfit really could not squeeze through the door. And you could inadvertently touch the candle and knock it over yourself, and this is really life-threatening. The satirical magazine Punch even advised husbands to purchase insurance for their wives specifically in case of fire due to crinolines. So this fashion trend did not last long.
Often the food was spoiled or simply of poor quality
Before the invention of pasteurization, milk could be a source of tuberculosis. It was impossible to rely on the safety of products, especially those bought in large cities. Unscrupulous s traders sold rotten meat mixed with fresh carcass fat; bakers added alum and chalk to the dough to make the bread whiter. Arsenic was added to pickles and other canned foods to enhance the taste and make it brighter. Well, kill the buyer.
Queen Victoria made chefs cook chan curry every day even though she couldn’t stand it herself.
Victoria hated spicy food, but as the ruler of India, she insisted on currying every day, just in case the “Eastern people” came to visit her.
But Victoria ate other food at the speed of light.
As a child, Victoria was brought up in great strictness and was not allowed to eat much, so when she became queen, she did everything to catch up. She ate a lot and at an incredible speed, which was a problem for her guests – after all, according to etiquette, they had to finish each dish as soon as the queen finished eating it (even if they managed to bite off only a piece). In general, by today’s standards, Queen Victoria was a rather obese woman.
Toothpaste was made from coal and honey
A journal of the time published a recipe for “toothpaste” claiming that powdered charcoal and honey made an excellent dentifrice. Coal? Maybe. But honey? No, it’s not good for teeth.
Women made face masks from raw meat
A beauty-advice writer recommended to readers: “Make a mask every night using thin slices of raw beef, which is said to protect the skin from wrinkles and give it a freshness.” Of course, if your dog does not gnaw your face in a dream.
In the 1870s, the star of the freak shows in London and Liverpool was a “dog-faced boy” from Russia.
This Russian boy’s name was Fedor Evtikhiev and he suffered from hypertrichosis. Fyodor and his father Adrian were presented to the public as “the two greatest curiosities of our time.” Their faces were covered with hair, which made them look like Skye Terriers. Subsequently, Andrian died from complications caused by alcoholism, but Fedor continued to “please people” for many more years.
Almost 50% of children died before they reached the age of five
The highest infant mortality rate was, of course, in the slums. The slums of Seven Dials in London and Angel Meadow in Manchester were so eerie that they were called hell on earth. Manchester had over 30,000 workers, mostly Irish immigrants, in an area of just one square mile. The children there were left to their own devices, eating whatever garbage they could find, and some even eating cats and rats.
Grieving families were photographed with the corpses of their children
Rich people usually took pictures, and those who could not afford this expensive pleasure hired an artist. For example, a kind-hearted artist named John Callcott Horsley often visited morgues to paint portraits of recently deceased children. Such a posthumous image was often the only memory of departed relatives.
For some reason, rich houses liked to eat fried veal ears
In the Victorian era, when gluttony coexisted with incredible thrift, not a single piece of food was wasted. For example, whole veal heads were boiled for dinner, and brains were cooked as a separate dish: they looked like pink blocks floating in an oily sauce. Veal ears were shaved, boiled, and then fried in boiling oil. A kind of feast in the style of Hannibal Lecter.
Charles Darwin was very fond of dishes from exotic animals
Darwin not only studied rare animals but also loved to feast on them. He joined the Cambridge Gluttony Club, whose members ate unusual dishes of hawks, squirrels, grubs, and owls. And while traveling, the scientist tasted an iguana, a giant tortoise, an armadillo, and a cougar.
