The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-17
WITH BLACK LUNGS.
Peculiarities Noticeable in People who
Have Resided in Pitt burg.

The peculiar characteristics possessed
by the inhabitants Of Pttsburg are not
limited To the vocal oddity known as
the Pittsburg rising infection, which
was described i'm the New York sun
some time tago. There il especially
one popularity that may hetray the
Pittsburg man anywhere. hut after
death only. Let the breath of life
leave his body and his carefully guard
ed secret Is ut the mercy of cirCum-
stances. Did he die an obviously nat
ural death, With no suspicion as to the
nature of his taking off. his secret will
be buried with him. Was his demise
accompanied by circumstances that led
To suspicion of suicide or murder, then
his secret is a secret no longer. The
post mortem knife lays ii bare, and
the coroner can say almost With GER
tainty:
He's from Pittsburg Look at his
lungs"
The visitor to the city. who has en-
wed and admired the deftness with
which the confirmed resident. spying
out of the corner of his eye the descent
of "A particle of SCOT upon his face. ar
ranges his lips and directs puff Of
breath at the spot, dislodgeS the black
atom-sueh a visitor would hardly
think that the same possessor of well
trained pair of lips. is already marked
for life by the smoke that fills the air
y p
pie have black lungs dscolored by the
constant inhaling of smoke from the
tons of bituminous coal burned there
II is not known whether the breath
ing apparatus Of the inhabitants Of
the great manufacturing districts of
England is affected in color by the
presence of soft coal smoke in the at
mosphere. but ii is the experience of
physicians who perform the autopsies
at the morgue. that Pittshurg coal conf
bustion makes the lungs of the citizens
black. The word black" is used in
relative sense. lungs Pittshurg peo-
pie are certainly not SO black as the
coal which discelors them. but they ac-
tually seem black. when compared
with the hued lungs OF countrymen
or residents of other cities. Opportun-
tiles for this comparison are furnished
almost daily at the morgue. In the
case Of an unknown man. the physi-
clans and attendants at the morgue
can tell with precision whether the
body is that of n pittsburg man IN
cases where evidences of some special
occupation do not interfere For ex-
ample, the lungs of coal miners from
any of the soft coal districts all look
alike. but in such cases the local ex-
perts easily distinguish between dis
coloraton from coal smoke and that
from coal dust
DIR. j. Guy McCandless. for many
years physician of the bureau of
health, told the Sun correspondent that
the whole lung tissue becomes perme-
ated by the coal smoke. IL does not
seem to affect the texture of the tissue
nor 10 interfere with the free work
ings of the organ. That ii does not
affect the lungs injuriously is indicated
10y the mortality statistics. which show
that in Pittsbnrg there are proportions
ately no more. but. perhaps. even few
er deaths from consumption and kim
dred diseases than In other cities.
Whether the Wen known qualities
81 smoke as an autiseptir counteract
what one might suppose 80 be the dele
ferrous effect Of the diseploration of
1he lungs. do not know" said the
doctor. but there appears TO arise an
solutsly no injury from the breathing
Of Piusbufg air"