Would You Do These Jobs?

The professional world is always changing, with new jobs entering the market while others turn obsolete. Turns out there have been strange jobs around since the beginning, and we’re relieved that most of these don’t exist anymore. From whipping boys to professional grave robbers, here are 20 strange and dangerous jobs that turned a profit, but at a terrible cost.

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1. Whipping Boy

A whipping boy was hired to study alongside a prince in early modern Europe. However, whenever the prince made a mistake, the whipping boy would receive punishment on his behalf. Tutors weren’t allowed to hurt the prince due to their royal status, so the whipping boy would quite literally get whipped in his stead.

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2. Food Taster

You might have seen food tasters in movies, as they too would be hired by the monarchy or important nobles. It was up to these food tasters to sample food before the intended party ate it. This was to check for poison and ensure safety, at the cost of the tasters’ own lives sometimes.

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3. Leech Collector

In 19th-century Europe, leeches were used for all sorts of medicinal purposes. Doctors would employ leech collectors to find and supply these leeches, and it was a rather lucrative business as there was a growing demand. Of course, pulling blood-sucking worms out of their natural swampy habitats wasn’t the safest and was a bit gross if nothing else.

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4. Rat-Catcher

Speaking of catching vermin, a ratcatcher was a medieval professional tasked with capturing and eliminating rats. Europe was quite fearful of these rats, and the catchers were essential for pest control. Of course, being around rats and getting bitten put the catchers at risk of disease, as at the time, rats were responsible for spreading dangerous ailments.

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5. Groom of the Stool

While not necessarily dangerous, this job was infinitely disgusting. The groom of the stool was a courtier for English monarchs who had a very intimate task. They were responsible for helping the monarch go to the bathroom and helping them with hygiene of that nature.

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6. Resurrectionist

This job wasn’t dangerous as long as you didn’t get caught. Essentially, resurrectionists were grave robbers tasked with stealing bodies. They were often hired by doctors and physicians to supply them with bodies to practice on. The English government was so annoyed by their interference that they eventually started supplying doctors free corpses.

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7. Treadmill Worker

When someone was sent to prison, there were a plethora of menial jobs around to keep them busy. Hundreds of men would end up working the treadmill, which meant having to walk on a giant device for an entire day to lift heavy objects. Essentially, manual construction vehicles.

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8. Chimney Sweeps

Despite how charming Mary Poppins makes chimney sweeping seem, the reality was sad and dangerous. These sweeps, often small children, would have to get into chimneys to clean them out. However, these chimneys could combust, and the buildup of soot in the lungs would lead to cancer.

anonymous / Unidentified photographer on Wikimedia

9. Gong Farmers

People really were gross back in the day, which really puts the value of today’s modern conveniences into perspective. Essentially, before plumbing, people would collect human waste into cesspits. The gong farmer would be tasked with emptying these pits, and some ended up suffocating on the job.

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10. Barber-Surgeon

This one’s a bit nightmarish, but before doctors and morticians, barbers were tasked with those sorts of duties during wartime. The barbers would use their tools to handle injuries, and some would even sample urine to make diagnoses. It was a necessary but dangerous job and would eventually be replaced by doctors.

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11. Funeral Clown

This one wasn’t all that dangerous but was certainly very strange. A funeral clown was prevalent in 4th-century Rome and would wear a mask to look like the recently deceased. Then the clown would mock the departed in an attempt to cheer up both the funeral-goers and the lingering spirit.

Nong on Unsplash

12. Tosher

Another plumbing horror story! Toshers were explorers who would roam the sewers of all places in search of valuables. While not a legal job, it was a choice profession for some in Victorian London.

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13. Plague Bearers

Imagine getting paid to essentially contract the plague. Well, that’s exactly what plague bearers did in the 1660s. These men would collect the bodies of plague victims and bury them in mass graves. They were separated from their families and would have to live by the bodies they buried as a form of quarantine.

I. Columbina (drawer), Paul Fürst (copper engraver) on Wikimedia

14. Quarrymen

Quarrymen are similar to miners and would work in quarries. Their job involved extracting stones for construction purposes, like kitchen counters and tile floors. Falling stone or industrial accidents posed a threat, though, and the job was fairly dangerous.

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15. Sin Eater

While not necessarily dangerous, this is a fascinating job as well. When people passed before confessing to a priest, there was a concern that their souls might not make it to heaven. Sin eaters were tasked to eat the sins of these people to help get them into heaven. They did this by placing bread on the bodies and letting it “fill up with sins” before eating the bread themselves.

The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash

16. Mudlarks

Mudlarks were another unhygienic job, depending on where you frequented. They would scavenge beaches, shores, and sometimes sewage output to find valuables. They would then turn this in for a profit.

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17. Professional Mourner

It’s a bit interesting to see how people handled funerals back in the day. Professional mourners originated in multiple cultures, including Egyptian, Chinese, and Mediterranean. They would attend funerals and lament along with the family, even helping to deliver eulogies.

The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash

18. Snake Milkers

When medicine became prevalent, snake milkers were tasked with collecting the venom from these reptiles. The venom would help in creating antidotes, but extracting it was certainly dangerous. Getting up close and personal with fearsome and venomous predators wasn’t exactly safe.

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19. Whalers

Nowadays, people know to leave whales alone, as they are intelligent, harmless, and integral to the ecosystem. But throughout history, it was popular to hunt these creatures for their blubber and oil. These animals put up quite a fight, though, with many whalers facing the threat of retaliation and capsizing.

Ansgar Theodor Larsen on Wikimedia

20. Powder Monkey

This was another unfortunate task for children, who would end up working on a warship lugging gunpowder into cannons. Their smaller hands made this easier, but it certainly put them in harm’s way. Lots of these ships would be rattled with cannon blasts, making it no place for children.

Civil War Glass Negatives on Wikimedia