The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-24
DISEASE IN ALL TRADES.
DANGERS TO WHICH MEN ARE sun
JECTED IN THEIR DAILY LABORs.


Lead Poisoning and Its Causes.
Printers Collie and Weaver's Aath-
ma-The Dangers Of Musicians,
writers and TeIegrnphers-I're-
GuentIy Persons Are Compelled to
Change Their Employment.
From the Philadelphia Times
Every new handicraft and trade devei-
ops a brand new disease for mankind.
Not only are workmeny who labor IN un-
healthy surroundings, for many hours
daily, more liable than other people TO
the ordinary diseases. such as consump-
ton. but they are particularly liable to
special varieties Of disease which occur
in that trade alone, as for example.
painters collie among lead workers,
"weavers' asthma" among those VINO
work at spinning and weaving cotton
goods, miners elbow among men who
work in mines.
Nearly all metals are poisonous If taken
into the system ia any amount. Arsenic is
more dangerous than the others. because
1t is more easily absorbed, and is very
commonly met with mixed with other
metal ores, also in many paints and color
ing dyes, especially IN the green cOlOrs
used so mnch In wall papers, children
toys and artificial flowers. Those VINO
absorb much Of 1t soon become paralyzod
Mercury is very poisonous to those who
mine II or use In refining other metals,
and it not infrequenty effects workmen
who are employed IN gliding, silVering or
bronzing, ana especially those who make
thermometers and mirrors. Mercury pOls-
onlng has occurred in Orange, n. j., IN
the operators IN felt hat factories. from
a certain use it has in that business. It
shows its poisonous qualities first bS It's
effect on the gums and mouth, later by a
trembling OF the hands and general weak
ness and extreme paleness Of the skin.
All men who work with lead, especially
with white lead paints, know perfectly
well that II they dont avoid absorbing
the lead through their skins and especially
with their food they run greet danger Of
lead or painters collie and lead paralysis.
Workers in flint glass, iB glazing of all
sorts. type-founders and typesetters are
also very apt TO get II, and even people
who habitually drink beer that has been
drawn through or has stood in lead pipes.
But those who grind or mix paints are
most frequently poisoned by lead. The arr
lists Raphael and Correggio are said TO
have suffered from 1t.
1t shows itself first in a blue line on the
gums then by severe collie, and later by a
"drop-Wrlst,' caused by the paralysis of
the muscles Of the back Of the arms Phos-
phorus workers. especially those who man
ufacture matches, are liable to "a very bad
form of poisoning, which causes the bones
of the Jaw and face to decay The second
way IN which trades may be injurious Is in
the fine impalpable dust thar Is given Off
IN SO many different occupations from
grinding, polishing and rubbing hard sub
stances in the course Of their manufacture.
from raw material TO finished articles.
This causes different forms of asthma,
and especially effects the air passages
from the nose down to the lungs. The
worst Of all is the needle grinding which
is said to eventually XIII all those who en-
gage in it before they reach middle life.
All dry grinding in making such instru-
ments razors, knives, scissors or forks
is especially trying. All dust from cotton.
or silk work Is bad, and unless care is
taken by the owners 70 provide proper
fans, or by the Workmen to wear masks.
seriously damages the lungs. Wood and
flour dust affects the lungs. Miners and
coal beavers breath i'm enough coal dust
in few years 10 color their lungs as black
as coal. All these substances harden the
lungs, and later cause them to break down
in places, and generally to be eventually
infected by consumption.
Employments which expose the work
men to great extremes of heat or cold
such as hremen and stokers ia great en-
gtnes or blast furnaces, or working ia
cold storage plants, have very obvious
dangers, but thes can generally be avoid
ed Il the men viii only take care OF