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Ten reasons why a Victorian childhood was fraught with danger

There is one period in history wherein the younger generation lived and breathed struggle: the Victorian era.

by Amanda Ellison 21-11-2024 08:00 in History

9. Toxic Toys given to Victorian children

For some Victorian children, those shiny new Christmas toys turned out to be killers. Lead is well-known for its wood-preserving properties, making lead-based paint just the thing for ensuring the longevity of wooden products – including children’s toys. Unfortunately, children do tend to put things in their mouths and, because there was no unpleasant taste, Victorian children did exactly this. The inevitable result: lead poisoning.

For affected children, the tongue and gums would eventually turn black, blue or grey. By the time these symptoms of lead poisoning materialised it would be too late. Coma and seizures would ensue, culminating in death.

The real tragedy is that the dangers of lead had been known since Roman times, but blithely ignored by the Victorians.

Consequently, two out of ten infants would not survive to their second birthday, making this Victorian norm a mass killer.

https://northeastbylines.co.uk/culture/history-culture/ten-reasons-why-a-victorian-childhood-was-fraught-with-danger/