The Horrors of Child Labor

Question: What are the effects of factory work on the children.

Dr. Samuel Smith: Up to twelve or thirteen years of age, the bones are so soft that they will bend in any direction. The foot is formed of an arch of bones of a wedge-like shape. These arches have to sustain the whole weight of the body. I am now frequently in the habit of seeing cases in which this arch has given way. Long continued standing has also a very injurious effect upon the ankles. But the principle effects which I have seen produced in this way have been upon the knees. By long continued standing the knees become so weak that they turn inwards, producing that deformity which is called "knock-knees" and I have sometimes seen it so striking, that the individual has actually lost twelve inches of his height by it.

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In the spring of 1840, I began to feel some painful symptoms in my right wrist, arising from the general weakness of my joints, brought on in the factories. The swelling and pain increased. The wrist eventually measured twelve inches round and I was worn down to a mere skeleton. I entered St. Thomas's Hospital and on 18th July, I underwent the operation. The hand being taken off a little below the elbow. On dissection, the bones of the forearm presented a very curious appearance - something similar to an empty honeycombe, the marrow having totally disappeared.

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Interview with Joseph Hebergram 1832
 

Question: At what age did you start work?

Answer: Seven years of age.

Question: At whose mill?

Answer: George Addison's Bradley Mill, near Huddersfield.

Question: What were your hours of labour?

Answer: From five in the morning till eight at night.

Question: What intervals had you for refreshment?

Answer: Thirty minutes at noon.

Question: Had you no time for breakfast or refreshment in the afternoon?

Answer: No, not one minute; we had to eat our meals as we could, standing or otherwise.

Question: You had fourteen and a half hours of actual labour, at seven years of age?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Did you become very drowsy and sleepy towards the end of the day?

Answer: Yes; that began about three o'clock; and grew worse and worse, and it came to be very bad towards six and seven.

Question: How long was it before the labour took effect on your health?

Answer: Half a year.

Question: How did it affect your limbs?

Answer: When I worked about half a year a weakness fell into my knees and ankles: it continued, and it got worse and worse.

Question: How far did you live from the mill?

Answer: A good mile.

Question: Was it painful for you to move?

Answer: Yes, in the morning I could scarcely walk, and my brother and sister used, out of kindness, to take me under each arm, and run with me to the mill, and my leg  dragged on the ground; in consequence of the pain I could not walk.

Question: Were you sometimes late?

Answer: Yes, and if we were five minutes too late, the overlooker would take a strap, and beat us till we were black and blue.

Question: When did your brother start working in the mill?

Answer: John was seven.

Question: Where is your brother John Working now?

Answer: He died three years ago.

Question: What age was he when he died?

Answer: Sixteen years and eight months.

Question: What was his death attributed to?

Answer: He died from a spinal affection after working long hours in the factory

Question: Did his medical attendants state that the spinal affection was owing to his having been so over-laboured at the mill?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Have you found that, on the whole, you have been rendered ill, deformed and miserable, by the factory system?

Answer: Yes. If I had a thousand pounds, I would give them to have the use of my limbs again.