New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-05-08

states, that the claimant in doing hi
work was subjected % any create
exposure 10 the Inhalation OF ga
i than was experienced by a consider
{ able number Of other woTkmen il
: that part Of the plant.
y Ip 20 about April 1, 1899, Fore
man Fisher was In charge Of tn
work and he allowed the men Il
= work in relays giving them an eppeF
tuniiy 10 come out and secure fresf
air and get cool occasionally, Aftel
! April /, one Stout, a stone mason
I was IN charge, TndeF his direction
II was claimed, there was no work
> ing in relays and Romerio was re-
: auiTed 10 spend more time in tbs
superrheated furnaces with less tins
out in the fresh air,
In his memorandum on the case
Commissioner Chandler says, in part
J ',0n the whole, have reached thf
conclusion that the diagnosis made hs
pr, Dunn and DIR, stoekwell was cor,
rect, The presence of rales in the
lungs has long been one OF the
classical symptoms OF tuberculosis, As
"a the reading of the N-rays, ] do not
know who is right, but in any event
they are not highly significant, The
three examinations OF the sputum
made by DIR, stoll were negative, ]
understand that DIR. stoekwell omitted
this rest because he was convinced
from his physical examination and
from the photographs that tubereu-
losis was present. lie testified that.
although most of the cases reaching
the state sanatorium at Newington
are In advanced stages. sometimes
nearly 100 tests OF sputum have to
I ho made 20 secure positive result,
| Forty per cent OF these patients show
negative results as 10 sputum. al
though unquestionably having tuber-
! cmlosis, Moreover Romerio Ia n sick
man. DIR. stoll believed that his III
ness is due 10 heart disease and high
blood pressure. and his opinion GER
tainly Is entitled to high respect, ]
am not convinced. however, that these
conditions. together with Romerio's
habit as n mouth breather. are suffi-
cient entirely TO incapacitate him TO
work and make him as III as he Is.
II seems TO me that some more deep
seated and virulent disease must be
present.
"Thc second question to he decided
is whether or not the extraordinary
conditions Of Romerio's work were
the proyimate cause of the tuber-
culosis from which he is suffering.
I'm my opinion. this question pre-
SCENTS much less difficulty than that
concerning the diagnosis of the dis
ease. Stress was laid by the res.
pondent's counsel on the fact that Dr. |
Stockwells original conclusion that |
the work had caused the disease was |
based upon an exaggerated and in
some respects, incorrect understand
ing of the working conditions. For
instance DR.. Stockwel had under
stood that the protracted seven or
eight day period of work in the an
healing furnace, referred to in para
graph II of the finding, has occurred
in July before Romerio had had his
August period of sickness. He also
was under the impression that the
claimant spent considerably more of
his time under conditions OF heat,
SCOT and dust than was actually the
case. After the facts were all in, DR..
Stockwell was recalled at the request
OF the commissioner and asked
or not, with conditions of
such IS appear in the
finding, he would be of the opinion
that the tuberculosis was caused by
The employment. He still thought
that the work had brought on the
disease, and gave his reasons therefor.
rhe conn missioner did not ask to have
DR.. Stoll recalled, because he did not
.hink Romerio had tuberculosis DR..
stockwell explained that working UNI
Ter conditions producing heat-eXhaus-
ion brings about marked chemical
changes In the blood. He also attach
ID some Importance in the first part
If his testimony to Romerio's inhaa-
ion of gas, which acts as an irrtant
have dismissed this as factor, be-
,ause 1t was not shown that a large
amount of gas was present. 1t was
shown, however, that considerable
mount of SCOT and dust was In the
lir and the claimant must have in
laled it. While it probably was not I
poisonous, inhalation of foreign mat
err does have deleterious effect upon ?
he lungs. :
"Romerio worked under extraordi- .
ary conditions. His work became =
larder after April list. 1t was be- >
ween April 1st and August list that
lie became i'll. The exposure Of a
workman to approximately 200 de-
rees of heat for considerable periods !
{ time, requiring him occasionally to
merge and rest, followed at noon and
t night by vomiting and loss Of APP
etite, constitutes, in my Judgment,
bnormal and extraordinary condi-
ions of labor. | think Romerio had
he tubercle bacillus In his system.
indeed. it was DIR. Stockwell's opinion
hat there was an old tubercuar le-
ion in one of his lungs but. in my
Judgment, the final proXimate cause
the claimants present illness and
capacity was the unusual work
'hich he did in the boilers and an
ealing furnaces. True. the man went
ack to work after the first onset of
le disease and for a few days did
arder work than he had done be-
IRE. He kept at his work with sub