In the nineteenth century, long before child-labor laws, or workplace safety regulations at all, childhood among the poor was all-too-often often a daily grind of arduous factory work. Returning home to the tenements meant cramped conditions and inadequate meals. With the founding of The Floating Hospital came a chance for children to spend time outdoors on the sea around physicians committed to their well-being. Work was left to the adults and they could enjoy a carefree childhood, if only for a day. | |