I would not want to be an leech collector because leeches were a useful commodity for doctors in Victorian London. Our quacks used leeches to treat ailments ranging from ‘hysteria’ to headaches. Useful or not, the leeches had to be collected by somebody, and the job usually fell to poor countrywomen.
These poor souls would wade through dirty ponds hoping that the critters would latch onto their legs. Then, the lucky employees would prise them off and store them in a pot. Infectious diseases and excess blood loss were serious dangers to leech collectors.
