The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-08-03
DR.. HOFFMAN, REPORTS
ON BARRE SURVEY.
Y. s. Bureau Of Labor Statistics Is
sues "The Problem Of the Dust
Phthisis in the Granite
Industry"

Only hasty glance may we take
at bulletin No. 203, issued in July
| by the y. $. department Of labor. Il
Is the formal report made by DR.. Fred
| erick H. Hoffman, LII d.. who, pre-,
liminary to his Investigations in the
Barre granite industry, addressed the
association in the winter of 1920. The
report is paper bound and runs to a
length Of l7s pages, including thor
oughly informing appendix and index
| 1t is on file in the association offices
and is always available for reference
purposes.
A wide range Of topics Ii covered in
the report, and because of space linn
itations reference can be made to only
a few of them. Some of the conclu-
sions reached are given below, but
the careful lay student of health con-
ditions in the Barre district will wish
to give other phases OF the report their
thoughtful attention. A chapter en-
titled Previous Investigations in the
stone industry" will be Of particular
interest to those Of the membership
who have worked in the Scottish gran
lite center, for full report Of Aber-
deem mortality Investigations includes
the following sub headings.
Age incidence in dust phthisis; af-
feet of pneumatic tools; racial and So
cial influences; problem of family in
lection; Importance Of stone dust ana
lysis.
II win be recalled that Barre's prom.
inence In the stone world determined
the investigators upon centering their
inquiry in this locality. Under the
heading, Mortality among granite
stone workers." probably every factor
entering into the mortality Of granite
workers is discussed. A section of the
report devoted to other investigations
includes summaries of surveys made
in Germany, in Bendigo (Australial,
and inquiries carried on in other Amer
lean industries where dust is an ele-
ment Of hazard.
Nine appendices cover such items as
the inquiry blank used in the inyes-
LEGATION, the medical blank, an analy-
sis of stone dust in Barre and sim
ers' mortality in Aberdeen, the mi
ers' mortality in Aberdeen, the mi
neurology of the dust problem and a re-
port Of the medical investigation car
ried on in Barre. Attention Is also
given to the German sick fund expe-
rience and the list Of references.
There are six charts, all OF them
characteristic of the care exercised by
the investigators in conducting their
researches. One of them is designated
as the comparative proportionate dis
tribution Of granite cutters of Barre, |
VT. limestone cutters of Bedford, Ind, |
and Transvaal gold miners, by years
Of employment.
Another Mortality Of granite cut.
tiers OF Barre, VT, and adult males Of |
Massachusetts,. l9lI-l7, by divisional /
periods of life No. 8 traces the fam |
ily mortality from tuberculosis of the /
lungs of granite cutters compared |
with that of farmers of Washington
and Caledonia counties, VT, ls93la."
Still another gives the Correlation
between the chemical composition of
he stone and mortality from tuber-
.ulosis of the lungs among granite
'utters, sandstone cutters and lime
tone cutters, by periods of years"
The author divides his conclusions
nto a series of eleven. all of which
ire either given here verbatim or in
urinary:
No. l. The granite stone industry
$ carried on by wage earners who. Il
'roadly speaking, live under sanitary
onditions above the average. so that
,ossibly unfavorable environmental |
actors are Of decidedly secondary inn
'ortance.
No. 2. The housing conditions under
which granite workers live are also
bove the average, so that IN this re-
pect, the environmental factors are
avorable to low mortality rather
han otherwise.
No. 3. Anthropometric records clear
y establish the fact of superior ply
ique. indicative of higher degree
( disease resistance, as determined
y a relative weight above the aver
&c. From this point of view, there
Dre, granite workers should expert
nee relatively low mortality from
tuberculosis instead OF a
lortality decidedly above the aver
ge normal TO Industrial occupations.
No. a. Granite workers, considered
' specie occupations, show wide yari
tons in tuberculosis frequency. the
ycess in the death being most marked
nong the men employed in granite
one cutting. it being especially Sc
re among the men employed in the
sc of pneumatic tools
Certain occupations, such as polish
z. tool sharpening. bed setting. etc,
not show marked excess, il any. :
the NOR lity from pulmonary tu-
'rculosis, clearly indicating that the
SIX is practically proportionste to
ist exposure.
Death Rate Increasing.
No. ). Compared with the normal
sth rate of adult males OF the state
Vermont. or of New England. the
ortality from pulmonary tuberculo.
! among granite stone workers has
creased enormously during the last
70 wears, as contrasted with a d.
mortality in the population |
large. Statistics for the New Eng
nd states are confirmed BY similar
Ia for every other stonecutting cen
: Of the United States. proving with |
solu-e certainty that in every Sec
N Of the country the tuberculosis
,rtality of this group of industrial
'rkers is increasing. in contrast 20
ally diminishing dssth rate. from /
- ,~..at fatal - al ltnnmana III