Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-11-03
The Wool Sorter's Disease.

The danger which turks In the dust and
dirt of old rags, and especially hair and
wool, is, during their manipulation pre-.
paratory to being transformed into paper,
felt, or cloth, very serious matter for the
workmen employed The exceedingly
unclean condition in which the bales OF
rags and hair are received in the factories
necessitates their being first clesned and
sorted by hand, and this operation Is often
fraught with the gravest consequences,
scattering sometimes the seeds of loath-
some ana fatal diseases. The sorting room
Is provided with tables, at each of which
Is worker, usually woman; at her side
is an open bale, from which she chooses a
handful at time and deposits on the table;
this liberstes great deal of dust. In
many cases the dust contains the germs of
the horrible disease called ''anthrax, "
''Ezalignant pustule," ''charbon," and
'iSIberian plague" These germs possess
singular vitality and virulence, developing
in the human subject the loathsome and
fatal malady called wool sorter's disease. "
II is not, however, confined TO wool. as
the germs of the fungoid organism, s.Ba-
cittus anthrdcis," are found in every des-
cription of hair and wool, and most fire.
quently in the Siberian horse names, which
are largely imported In England for the
manufacture OF hair cloth. Neither is the
disease confined to the sorters; the infected
dust is mingled with the air and gets out
side the works, or il is distributed among
manure dealers who buy the refuse dirt.
This has recently been conclusively proved
by cases in Glasgow, Bradford, and Else
where.
Manufacturers in England are therefore
contemplating the disinfection of all dan
gerous hair and woods. 1t is proposed to
empty the bales in tanning arrangement.
burn the coverings, or soaking them in re-
fuse sulphuric acid, changing them into
manure by the addition of gypsum as
drIer. The fine dust blown out by the fan
is TO be discharged under the fire bars of a
steam boiler, where it will be promptly
and effectively destroyed. The heavier
dust falling on the bottom, and now sold
for manure making, is to fall at once into
lead tank with sulphuric acid and treated
like the coverings; this dust from hair and
wool is rich in phosphates and ammonia,
and Is, therefore, valuable fertilizer,
while tile acid increases its fertiliZing
properties and utterly destroys any germs
pres mt. Carbolic acid is 10 be used for
disiniecting the hair, as chlerIje of lime
or bleaching powder Injuries the fiber. In
order to show the urgency Of these precau-
tions We recite some of the details of one
of the cases lately reported in an English
medical journal: William Otley, aged IS,
employed by Mitchell Brothers, Bradford,
to prepare mohair after il had passed
through a Washing and securing process
necessary TO manufacture it into yarn. He
hal first a small pimple upon his chin; this
increasing and making him feel unwell, he
staid home. A physician was sent for,
and found swelling of the under jaw Set
ting in. AS the pustule increased rapidly,
and constitutional symptoms showed them
selves, the mahgnity of the case was soon
recognized and all hope of staying the
disease was lost. Three days later the
patient died, On the morning of that day
the doctor took little blood and serum
from the atfec,ed part, and, submitting it
10 microscope examination, discovered
the organism known as "Pdceitus anth-
rdcis," row universally recognized among
pathologists as the cause of splenetic fever
III cattle. and that form in which II Is iden-
tical with wool sorters disease No
doubt the pimple on the chin had been in
nDculateu by the virus, the development of
which caused the mans death. After his
deceased the upper part of his body un-
derw,nt a most rapid decomposition.