Document Nwj0bZ7XpqqKvGzaVLR2RxqD

May lBth, 1932 REPOET of the Activities of the Industrial Hygiene Departmeat. ___ McGill University. During the past year the following aotiTitios hare 'bean carried on by the Industrial Hygiene Department under the auspices of McGill and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. 1. Clinical Activities: The policy was oontiaued of ex- aminlng all oases from certain speoified trades who presented themselves at the olinlo, and by this means we continued to make Important connections with hasardous industries. The number of cases of lead poisoning treated fell Tory sharply, partly owing to decreased production, but still more so. we believe, to the improvements undertaken by the plants.under our supervision and advice. Throughout the year the Health Service for General Hos pital employees and administration of the benefit system among them was continued. The night Industrial Dental Clinio. formed as a co-opera tive measure by the industries in whom we are interested to furnish dental eare at reasonable prioes to the employees, operated for ten months of the year as usual* Te have lately published an aoeount of its organisation and its financial report for the past -three years. 2* gjeld Work: While we wire unsuoeessful in establishing health services in any new Industries during the period under review, a supervision of those already established was continued. The Toilet Laundry Company, employing five hundred people, have opened up a local hospital with a nurse in charge, and have added a physician to their staff, dll this was done under our advice and help. 3. Research and Publications: The survey of Asbestos workers In the district about Thetford Mines, undertaken by Dr. Pedley, was oompleted in this period* Two very important problems of research were initiated during the period, and are being continued: (a) The Quebee Industrial Health Survey. .Assisted by the Provincial Department of Health and the Canadian Tuber culosis Association, we hare undertaken to examine fully and to make Z-rays of the bhests of 5,000 in-, dnstrial workers selected at random from various in- 0412 2 dustries of the oity and province. At the date of writing 1700 have already been completed, and arrangements are concluded for the examination of the remainder. (b) A aeoond investigation is that being undertaken by Ur. Fraser, in the Department of Pharmacology, on the toxic effects of mercury. The initial part of this work is concerned with animal ex perimentation and the examination of employees of the Shavinigan Chemical Company, in whose work shops mercury is extensively used as a catalyst. Both of these investigations will, we believe, throw important light on industrial medicine, and will be a distinct contribution to the subjeot, as is amply proved by results to date. Some of the publications issued by the Department during the year are enclosed herewith. 4. Teachingt Lectures, laboratory demonstrations and field instruoxlon.have been given to various groups of students, nurses, social workers and candidates for the Faculty of Architecture. The Director of the Department has continued to aot as Secretary of the Industrial Kedloal Association of the Pro vince of Quebeo, whioh has now been admitted as a section of the Provincial Medical Association, and has maintained con tacts between the physicians doing industrial work and the Commission of the Workmen's Compensation Board. S, General: The most Important development in the Provinoe during this period has been the coming into force of the new Workmen's Compensation Aot of 1931, granting compensation for industrial disease. Ve continue to work for a provincial department of Industrial Hygiene to carry on officially the work that we have been trying to do in an unofficial way. There is every likelihood that in the near future an Institute of Hygiene will be established for the Province, and arrangements are being made in the outline of the projeot for a participation on equal terms of Trenoh and English Industrial Health Departments. Owing to the general depression, and consequent re striction of funds, a slight reorganisation of the department was carried out. While the clinical work is continued at the hospitals, the laboratories and personnel of the expert A 0413' 3 staff wans more4 to McGill University, anl the work con tinued as outlined to you in our letter of August 22nd, 1931. Two of the activities then reoorded will be dropped this year, namely, the Health Service for General Hospital employees and the systematic sampling of all new admissions to the out-door department. This is in part compensated for, however, by weekly attend ance at staff rounds and through co-operation of other workers in the out-patient department, by means of which there continues to b a supply of material from industrial diseases for observation and attention. In a similar way the staff of the loyal Victoria Hospital is co-operating to increase the contacts between the Department and in dustrial disease* Social Scienoa Service? k great deal of aotivity is going on at UoGill at the present time in social science research, in which connection the Industrial Hygiene De partment is taking an active participation. Unemployment is being studied intensively by the Departments of Sociology, Political Economy and the Faculty of Hadioina, and a co-operative group is in- this way study ing unemployment from its various aspects. Physical examination is to be undertaken as a routine procedure in groups of the unemployed under the dlreotion of the Industrial Hygiene Department, and some Interesting results therefrom are anticipated* 0414-<