West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-01-10
Healthy aud Unheait,,y Occupation

There is said To bc dust everywhere, but
what constitutes dust Is variable material
Many occupations, the working OF fibres no
less than the working OF metals, develop
dust aud seriously affect the lungs. Iron
often settles there. A workman, who had
polished iron, died, and his lungs were
found To be hardened and actually one per
cent. OF iron In their substance Grinding.
particularly needle grinding, Is very fatal.
These grinders die at the average OF 81.
The grinding Of other metal products is un-
healthy, but te a less terrible degree, and
grinders are proverbially neglcctful or propcr
precautions Making ground glass is a hard
life, and hardly any of the workmen at A
are sound. Thirty-hvc per cent. die Of
consumption, and many lose their teeth and
suffer virtual lead poisoning. Diamond
cutters arc generally sick men. Vegetable
dust is unhealthy, too. The men who pre-
pare moulds for castings sprinkle them with
powdered charcoal. They have finally n
catarrh with black expcctorations, and die
of the disease. Nlillers do hot suffer from
inhaling dust, but they have singular
skin disease, oftncst affecting the left
shoulder, where they carry meal bags IL
itches at night only, and. according TO some
authorities, is not vegetable matter but an
health, as bits OF bristlc 20 into the
lungs. In button making bone dust Ia not
injurious, but mother of pearl is, very.
Feather handling IL exceedingly bad for
the lungs and throat, and for the eyes. and
arhhcial flower making brings poisoning
with 1t. Working In copper actually makes
the hair green and the teeth and Il IL said
the bones, but II is not injurious Copper IL
seldom worked alone aud what IL called
copper poisoning Is probably lead poison
ing. Seamstrcsses suffer from poisoning from
the stutfs they work. They also hurt their
eyes, but the sewing machine, IL Is now
held, is rather benefit than any injury II
used only few hours day IL Is the all
day work at II In bad air that has given II
its bad name. Tobacco working involves
week or two Of sickness at first, but this
Is overcome, and after il the woi lImen arc
said To be particularly free from epidemic
diseases. However its effects upon women
are said to be permanently bad There Is
great lack of children with them. Bleach
ing is cause of serious trouble from
eczema, which comes from the hot water
and lye, which also gives washerwomcn
cracked handsand eczema Ninety per cent.
of the people employed in preparing sui
phate OF quiniDe are taken down with
severe ecZematous troubles and often high
fever. This is disease that overcomes
new workmcn and which they only have
once. Gasmen also have skin troubles
from the violent sweating brought on ny
the heat, and changes of temperature also
develop rheumatism. There is no bron-
chitis or lung troubles among them The
only way in which mirrors can be made
without the horrors of morCural poisoning
Is by using silver and letting quicksilver
alone, but considerable can he done i'm inn
prove the condition OF mercury workers II
they can be made to keep clean, and not TO
cat in their workshops Matches in every
house and every pocket are made at
terrible cost. Match-maRers (not matri-
monial, but matcrial), have their intellecs
dulled by the fumes they inhalc and suffer
dreadful necrosis of the Jaw No one with
imperfect teeth can make matches and not
loose his jawbono and teeth Working In
rubber produces rubber poisoning" winch
IL accompanied by catarrh and eczema and
rs marked by singular development Of
dependency, that leads to dispair aud the
abandonment Of the work, after which
recovery comes naturally i'm. 1t is singIi-
lar fact that offensive odors are not un-
healthy. Tanners are proverbally well. In
cholera plaques tanners are exempt
Butchers hardly ever know what consump-
tion is. Even scavengers OF the lowest order
arc very well, and stables boys arc notor-
ously healty.