Matchmakers Union, 1888
Matchmakers Union, which formed in 1888 after a strike against the use of white phosphorus in matchmaking. Phossy jaw, formally known as phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, was an occupational disease affecting those who worked with white phosphorus. It destroyed bones in the jaw and was common in workers in matchstick factories in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of the girls in the photo are exhibiting early signs of phossy jaw
Picture No
50658649
Media ID
50658649
Size
2700px x 3414px
(2.3MB)
Credit
© Science Source / Mary Evans Picture Library
Usage Restrictions
No Model Release
Source
Wellcome Collection
Date
1888
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Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom
Diseases Jaws Matchgirl Matchgirls Matchmaker Matchmakers Medicinal Medicines Organized Pathological Pathologies Pathology Phosphorus Workings
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