Summary

The vast underclass of 1854 London was so large that it had virtually formed its own city. The toshers waded in the Thames River trying to dredge up coins with their long canes. Following them closely were the mud-larks who would grab the debris that the toshers stirred up but didn’t want – wood, coal and other scraps. Others of the underclass collected dog excrement or foraged the carcasses of any dead animals. In the sewers below others slogged through the City’s wasteland in search of debris they could sell. These scavengers lived in a world of excrement and death.

While there are still homeless in today’s society, they do not have to depend on scavenging in order to survive. Scavengers performed an important service – they removed the refuge from a large population. Recycling isn’t a modern innovation...