The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-01-18
DANGER Of Disease
Lsprosy and Bubonlo Germs Lurk
In Hair Factories.
Many Children and Young Girls Ex.
posed, Says Or. Charles Graham
Rogers, state Medical Exam.
liner Of state Of New York.

q "pu0o" and that there are many
children and young girls in this city
and state who work in factories un-
der conditions almost certain to
cause painful and even fatal diseases,
were assertions made by DR.. Charles
Rogers, medical examiner Of the state
department of labor, at the continue
ton Of the hearing Of the factory In.
vestigation commission.
In the course Of his examination by
Abram l. Elkus. counsel for the CON-
mission, DR.. Rogers was asked about
factories In which white PHOSPHORUS
matches are made.
There are two Of these factories
in this state" he answered. zone is
In Brooklyn and the other Is In Os-
wego. Beyond question there are the
most dangerous factories in the state.
There is very great danger to en-
ployes who handle the matches and
work over the PHOSPHORUS paste. The
chief menace ,is a rotting away Of the
bones, particularly the jaw bone, due
to the action of the white phosphor-
Gus.
Many women and children work in
these two factories and in my opinion
their employment should be prohibit
ed. Although u present law says
that children may do nothing in such
places but pack the boxes, l am quite
sure that they sort the matches. This
exposes them to as much danger as
threatens the grown men,"
Children, he said, should not be al
lowed to work in calico print works.
in pearl button factories, in gas man
tie works, in potteries or in chemical
factories of any sort. In one pearl
button factory on Long Island, he
testified, he found 100 boys and girls
under the age of 16.
Every worker that I examined in
this place l found to be suffering with
l%aryngitis or bronchitis" he said.
In factories where gas nantes are
made. he went on, he had frequently
found boys and girls in a state Of in.
%toxication due to inhalinga the alcohol
fumes arising from the collodion used
in the making of the nantes. In
some of the places. he said, wood al
cohol was used.
The inhalation of the fumes OF
this poison" he said. causes total
blindness in time, completely and
permanently destroying the optic
nerves."
Germs abound in the human hair
factories in this city, DIR. Rogers ties
titled. and he. had found all kinds OF
bacteria, including what he firmly be
loved to be germs of bubonic plague
Workers In human hair, he said, were
exposed to danger Of tuberculosis
chronic gastritis, intestinal diseases
and Assesses Of the stomach. From
80 to- 80 per cent Of the employees! in
human hair factories are growing
girls. he said.
III a woman with an abrasion or q
cut on her scalp were to wear one OF
these puns." he continued. and it hap
pened that the article contained any
of the germs I have mentioned, Sc
rious results would almost certainly
follow.
"One medical man recently told me
OF a case OF leprosy Of a young girl in
a nearby city caused by wearing an
infected puff or rat"
The danger to employees in these
factories, he asserted, lay in the faci
that the workers swallowed quantities
of fine, small hairs. Pus PRODUCING
germs on these hairs. he explained
caused assesses Of the stomach II
there was an abrasion of the stomach
lining.
This evil. he declared. could be rem
edied at small cost by the installation
of an. exhaust ve~ntflating system. Thu
law at present makes 1t impossible tt
remedy the condition, he said, ant
added his belief that children SHOULD
be prohibited from working in hal
factories.
The only other witness was William
F. Tibbs, a deputy inspector, who ties
titled regarding a candy factory ii
this city where the conditions were
in his language, dirty" and in tina
Of MI. Elkus, who seemed to be ia
miliar with the premises, "Althy."