(no subject)

[danohu]

Bonkers Victorian inventions, including:

• A steel collar, to protect against garrotting
• A mechanical leech, in case there's a shortage of real leeches
• A corset with built-in inflatable boobs

Comments

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Garrotting was a thing in 19th Century London: in part, the media-driven fear of it (and the draconian legislation that resulted) would be familiar to students of the Daily Mail today; but part of that fear was genuine, because London had some enthusiatic early adopters of this effective and efficient innovation in street robbery.