The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-03-11

and has a hacking cough, with some ex.
pectoration. The cheat-walls are much
contracted, especially on the right
side, whero there Is aleo a
deep infa.clavicular depression and
marked 1aiteping. In The right lung there
10 absence Of visicular murmur and signs Of
q large cavity In the upper part. There Is
dullness over the entire left lung, and les.
sened vascular sounds, with some bron.
chial breathing. In short, tho physical
signs are those Of tibroid phthisis.
LUNGS AFTER DEATH.
The following facts In regard to post
n1ortem appearances of,the lungs III nailers'
consumption were kindly furnished me by
Dr.. T. o. Edwards, being tho result oil three
examinations he had made: There was
marked deterioration Of the lung tissue,
being much darker than that Of an average
person living In a manufacturing city where
s,ft coal Is used. There was induration OF
the tiesuc, aud numerous depoaita Of hard,
hbroid material, varying In s'ze from small
nodules to masses larger than a walnut.
These masscs wero more like accumulations
oil heavy material than tho results OF case.
Gus degeneration, and would sink instantly
In water. III one cas-, there were several
plates Of Brittle, calcareou, accumulations
GA the pleural surfaces Of tho Numer-
oas cavities were found in all the cas.e,
ana were lined with q pus.secretipg mem.
brane, The broken down tissue having been
expectorated. Generally there are pleural,
and sometimes pericardtal, adhesiona,
which may account for tho extreme dys.
Pnoea which Ia generally noticeable in
these cases.
Dr.. Edwards, who has been tho City
Health Officer during tho past eight years,
informs mo that the death record during
this period shows that forly.three nailers
and iour feeders have died In that tint;
tortydied OF so.called nailers' consumption,
the remaining seven from other causes.
These, OF course, were only Of the four fac
tories within the city limits. This record
ia not entirely reliable from tho fact that,
very. often, the physician filling out the
death certificate neglects to give the occu.
patton; but, on the other hand, the occupa.
ton Of mailer and nail.ieeder Is moro zen.
orally. given than any others. The average
age OF these forty men was found 10 be lees
than t%hirty.nine years. By n rough est.
mate, made from the above mentioned TO.
cord, the number OF nailers that die OF con, T
sumption iB about eighty out oil every one
hundred. From Lawson on Phthisis, we
learn that the number oil people not exposed
to special causes, who die OF censumption, |
- about fourteen out Of n hundred; the
highest average he gives is among those ex.
posed 10 the inhalation Of mineral partic-
lee, seventeen out Of one hundred. Me.
never gives thegeneral average Of fourteen
to twenty in every one hundred.
NOT SOUGHT NJ LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
DR.. ]. E. Reeves tells me that he care.
fully examined one huGdred and thirty.
six ~nailera, a lew years ago, and found
only n out Of the whole number whom |
lie regarded as sound, and whom no would
have recommended to a life Insurance
company aB a good risk. In all OF the
others he heard bronchial respiration and
discovered other signs OF consolidation in
different degrees.
The Ohio Valley Protective Union and
at least one OF the old limo lie insurance
cemIaniee, will not insure nailers, no mat
ter what would be the result Of a thorough
examination, FIR the occupation is regarded
as too haz .rdous.
There can be no doubt that an ;mpor.
tant factor in tho high mortality Of n~ailers'
consumption is the dissipation to which
many OF these nen are addicted. They
make big wages and spend money freely. |
Their wages run from seventy-Gve to one
hundred and seveh,y.five dollars every
TWO Weeks, an average OF sixty-two and q
halt dollars a week. With 80 much spare
money at command they are exposed to
many temptations, and, as a consequence,
alcoholic excessts snd late hours make such |
serious drains on their health that they are
the lesa able to fight their common enemy,
and drop out Of the rani;s much soonti |
than their more temperate comrades. There
are exceptional csees OF nailers who are
over sixty years OF age, have been working
at the trade more than thirty years, and
are still in apparently strong health. They
are moatly sober, temperate men, who take
good care OF themselves, morally and ply
stlcally. If q mailer, who is Tres from an in.
herited tendency to phthisie, and has no
natural or acquired predieposition to the
disease, wear d good iuspira,or while work.
ing, and take other precautions to guard
against the dangers Of his trade, 1T the
same time living temperateIy and giving
Intelligent attention to his hygienic sur.
r~oundings, he would contribute q material
share toward Tightening the short average
Of a nailer's life.