Unfortunately the cost of a box of matches wasn't just a few cents. In some cases it was the bones, gums and teeth of the girls who worked with the phosphorus. This was called phosphorus necrosis, it is a corrosive condition, in which it eroded their teeth and gums and sometimes all the way through to the bone.
On one account of a young female who started working at the Bryant and May match factory when she was just 18 years old. The work was tough, but the wages, before and after the strike that she brought home were a blessed addition to her family. She was married when 22, and welcomed her first baby boy, a year later. When she was 24, her wisdom tooth began to ache, so bad that she visited a local dentist. He saw it had been so eroded, the cavity it left behind refused to heal, and days later, it began to discharge a pus, which became so bad it started oozing from her nose. Her jawbone became exposed and one day a piece of it came away. What finally happened to her is undescribed, but you can only imagine what happened next.
Phossy jaw, or phosphorus necrosis was not new. It was a hazard of the phosphorus industry.
As stated before, money wasn't the only expense, but also the liveliness and health of those working with it.
This is disgusting but kind of cool. I had no idea that phosphorus was this dangerous. Her entire mouth had corroded with a few years. Did they even have workers compensation back then? Also, did the mother's dangerous work place have any impact on her child? Like birth defects or something along those lines. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, this is disgusting. I can't believe how the matches were made and I also can't imagine the pain and gruesome visualization of her mouth and its "problem". This chapter must have been really interesting.
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