About this episode
Get early episodes & ad-free audio on Patreon: https://patreon.com/DrowsyHistorian Tonight’s story takes you to the edges of medieval Europe, where survival meant offering your own body to the swamp. As a leech collector, you strip down and wade into stagnant water, letting the worms feed on you so physicians and barbers can peddle their so-called cures. The buzzing of flies, the burning of bites, the weight of buckets writhing with your own blood — this is work no one wanted, yet someone had to do. Necessary for others, despised in life, and erased in death, the leech collector’s fate is a forgotten chapter in the history of misery. 🛏️ Drowsy Historian’s Favorite Sleep Tools Looking to upgrade your nighttime routine? These are a few things I personally use or recommend: • Sleep Earbuds for Enhanced Immersion → https://amzn.to/4pVFoJy • Blanket Soft Enough to Make the Plague Feel Tolerable → https://amzn.to/3GSOq8f • Weighted Blanket for Pretending You’re a Mummified Pharaoh → https://amzn.to/4kVJCgE • Sleep Mask Headphones For Total Historical Escape → https://amzn.to/4nWsNVn • Book Light for Reading About Plagues at 2AM → https://amzn.to/4eSg0iu • White Noise Machine for Blocking Out the 21st Century → https://amzn.to/3GJ9jTw These are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show while staying cozy. #history #calmhistories #sleepstory #medievalhistory #forgottenjobs #darkhistory #asmrhistory #boringhistory #weirdhistory