Actually it was 7 years of physical training that deformed their bodies:
"But the work left the body callused, bent, and molded. You could
tell a cropper by his enormous forearms and by the “hoof” of callused
skin that built up on his wrist. In the spring of 1811, George was in his
early twenties, and he’d spent his post-adolescent life learning the trade.
Seven years of hard, exacting labor; seven years of paying his dues. That
led to pride and attachment to the work, to a brotherhood, to an
identity."
Merchant, Brian. Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion against Big Tech. Little Brown & Co. (ADS), 2024.
