Posted on Saturday, 25 February 2012

Bizarre Victorian Fact of the day…

coffinskull:

vicfangirlguide:

Up until the late 19th century barbers also acted as back-street surgeons. People with little money who were in need of treatment would go to the barber who would perform operations including tooth extraction and amputations. The symbol of the red and white striped pole which marks a barber shop is a reference to this forgotten aspect of their trade - it represents a bone wrapped in blood-soaked bandages.

……… O_O’

hehe, can’t wait to get my barber pole/straightrazor tattoo

191 notes

  1. paniccuzaphantomsathogwarts reblogged this from 19thcentury
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  13. wrapped-in-silk reblogged this from laudanumandarsenic
  14. tantrumbarb reblogged this from mermaidfury
  15. mermaidfury reblogged this from 19thcentury and added:
    This is why I’m so happy I believe everything I read. Who needs sources? I have an awesome story about barbers.
  16. lovelyeuphorism reblogged this from laudanumandarsenic
  17. wintersskin reblogged this from spindling
  18. spindling reblogged this from whatbigeyesyouhave and added:
    Up until the late 19th century barbers also acted as back-street surgeons. People with little money who were in need of...
  19. tia-todd reblogged this from 19thcentury
  20. pepperjinks reblogged this from sirarthurconandoilies and added:
    i remember this in flapjack, the barber/surgeon character this is creepy, dawg
  21. fractured-mind reblogged this from 19thcentury
  22. sirarthurconandoilies reblogged this from vicfangirlguide
  23. cephalopodqueen reblogged this from 19thcentury
  24. obsessed-with-freaks reblogged this from rueraven and added:
    See? Sweeney Todd wasn’t all that bad. He just practiced using a different type of anesthetic, that’s all.
  25. kimothysmithums reblogged this from 19thcentury
  26. samuraininjakoriin reblogged this from 19thcentury
  27. kherpalazzo reblogged this from epicwinsauce and added:
    And you “Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack” fans thought that a doctor-barber was silly
  28. evil-sherlock-holmes reblogged this from 19thcentury
  29. rueraven reblogged this from 19thcentury
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  31. 19thcentury reblogged this from vicfangirlguide