The worst jobs in history

[jw5]

Leech collector​

In the 19th century, doctors used a technique called "bloodletting" to cure illness and disease. It involved withdrawing blood from the patient, often using leeches.

The leeches were often hard to come by, and it became the responsibility of leech collectors to gather the leeches, often using their own legs to attract them.

 

[jw5]

Gong farmer​

In Tudor England, before the dawn of modern sewage disposal systems, most houses had a cesspit in which human waste was deposited. The foul smell was a constant issue.

A lucky few "gong farmers" collected the excrement from the cesspits and transported it away from the town. They were only allowed to work at night.

 

[jw5]

Plague burier​

The Black Death was the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history. It caused the death of 75-200 million people across Eurasia and North Africa.

Some of those victims were buried in mass graves known as "plague pits." And, of course, they had to be buried by someone: enter the plague burier.

 

[glockman]

Job of husband and father is the toughest. Even true today.