The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-09-24
Danger in the Sewing Machine

Phe frequency and character OF
the hurtful effects of sewing-machine
work have been Investigated at differ
ept times by medical observers here
and abroad, but never so satisfactory
ly as in report of the State Board
of Health of MASSACHUSETTS,, embra-
cling wide range of careful inquiry:
From this it seems evident that exist
ent uterine and ovarian maladies arc
almost invariably aggravated by even
occasional exertion at the machine;
that such mqladies are commonly in
duced In the delicate by steady en-
ployment of this sort; and, even as
regards the strong, that "this unnat-
ural movement of the feet upon the
old freddie for eight or nine hours
daily tends to produce in large pro,
portion of women fatigue, pain, and
cramps in the limbs, back, and lolns'
the degree of which will depend upon
the physical capacity Of the indivld-
ual and the material which is being
made up. If this Labor is persisted
in, the result is that physical dete
rioratioh may be induced, the constl-
tuition being insidiously weakened, in
which condition certain specific dis
eases, particularly those peculiar to
women, may be developed and aggra.
waited by the abnormal amount of
blood forced into the pelvic organs, or
if no special disease is developed, their
reduced condition is made manifest
by the decided manner in which trlv-
ial illnesses affect them"
To obviatc these difficulties steam
power has been introduced in many
factories where numbers Of sewing
machines are kept running, and with
highly beneficial results; but there
still remain to be provided for the
weary hundreds whose toll is per-
formed at home. For these various
cxpcdients have been devised. First,
notifications of the treadle, whereby
the power might be applied with less
fatigue; then an electro magnetic
motor of ingenious construction, but
somewhat above the ken of the un-
philosophical, a series Of radiatlng
electromagnetic being connected with
galvanic battery, the current from
which Is alternately interrupted and
completed by the revolution of the
shaft and last, but not least, Q toy
like steam engine which could be car
ried in ones pocket, and yet is capa-
Bile of generating n surprising amount
of force. This liliputian engine
which may be seen in indcfatigable
operation in q Broadway shop window
Just above Thirteenth strcet-derives
its steam through small india-rubbcr
tube from a halfgallon boiler, heated
by gas jet or kerosens flame, the
pressure being so triaing as to involve
no risk of explosion, A wire from
the throttle-valve is attached to the
treadle, by means Of which the power
may be regulated, from the lowest
rate of motion up to q speed unat-
tainable by human muscles, its oscil-
lations being almost too rapid to be
counted. Simple, safe, easily manage:
able and applicable to any pattern Of
SEWN g-machine, this very ingenious
invention may be regarded as sani-
tary improvement of no small impor.
tance, and solely as such we call at
tention TO it, the patentee's name or
his business arrangements being un-
known to US. But from q purely san:
itary point of view We bellows that
any mechanical contrivance to dis
pcnsc with the incessant strain OF the
sowing machine upon certain set of
muscles will be an inestimabie boon
to a vast number Of women whose
health is gravely jeopardized by the
present mode Of operating.