Dave certainly entertained us with his, at times light hearted look, at what can be a rather heavy subject.  With the roads and rivers full of effluent, waste products and dead animals, disease was rife in the 19th century which resulted in the average life expectancy for the working class in industrial East Lancashire to be 24 years as opposed to 50 years in more rural areas.

Accidents were rife but the reponse by one mill owner when questioned how an operative had lost his hand in a machine was: ‘It was his own fault for having his hand there’!

The story of the Whitworth Doctors is always interesting but to be told that a dislocated hip was easily remedied by a quick hit by the doctor’s knee or the case of another practitioner who removed a tooth from the wrong patient and then tried, unsuccessfully, to put it back raised a lot of nervous laughter.

Touching on what we consider to be the dreaded workhouse, Dave related the tale of one man who checked himself in because he couldn’t stand the noise his grandchildren made.  Can any of us relate to that I wonder?

Moving forward to the 21st century one might assume that we’d left all this behind us but a couple of photographs showing the awful conditions some people are still subjected to in their home, dispelled that notion rather quickly.

What time in history would you prefer to live in?  With modern sanitation, the NHS and Health & Safety legislation I’d still choose 2025 with all it’s problems.

A most entertaining evening.