Blowing Your Nose: The Handkerchief-Industrial Complex

About this episode

Nineteenth-century cities were crowded, polluted, and brim-full of tuberculosis. The combination of disease and dirty air led to enormous nasal issues—and the rise of the surprisingly large and influential handkerchief trade. Then came Kleenex and the rise of disposable hygiene. Join Virginia Postrel and Charles C. Mann as they explore the strange history of nose-blowing, tissues, and the modern culture of throwaway consumer products. Podcast website: http://abundance.institute/EverydayAbundance People have been blowing their noses as long as there have been people, but phlegm control did not become an industry until after the industrial revolution in the late 18th century. Rising affluence, industrialization, and urbanization led to a global increase in polluted city air. Exacerbated by ubiquitous coal smoke, a host of respiratory diseases became constant presences in those cities, tuberculosis most prominent among them. Constant coughing, sneezing, and nasal discharge became ordinary features of city life. Enter the handkerchief. A remarkably sophisticated physical object, it became a cultural focus, a vital part of the middle- and upper-class wardrobe, and an icon