Between 1834 and 1850, Charing Cross Hospital treated 66,000 emergencies, including 16,552 falls from scaffolds or buildings; 1,308 accidents involving steam engines, mill cogs, or cranes; 5,090 road crashes; and 2,088 burns or scalds. The Spectator reported that almost a third of these injuries were caused by “broken glass or porcelain, casual falls … lifting of weights and incautious use of spokes, hooks, knives and other domestic implements.” These accidents often involved children, such as thirteen-year-old Martha Appleton, who was employed at a cotton-spinning mill as a “scavenger,” which
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