Document ga1md1GoLxBQ38BZ4pMx0LjmN

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1955 DOC#: ML052 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Journal Article - Recent Trends in Industrial Health [Occupational Diseases of the Lungs] **A IR1AL H E A LT H ire calculated, using, rocuries of a radio, critical organ, i. e., image to the body. ' if used exclusively st cases considered, 'ed in an emergency ose proximity to an. in setting the MPC s the probability of .f.ar Sc. A bst. J o seph G. H o f f - ions are described., tion of acute radia lines of therapeutic t part of the paper ions which arise at R.s' S u m m ary. 28:109-113 (Sept.) ist-control facilities imic Energy Comication of standard in unusual process r's S u m m ary. ept. Labor Month. iducing equipment diations, including R., New York. "z J r., Nucleonics ;or evaluating the dent are reviewed. -ar Sc. A bst. olan and H. W. tgenography were ar Sc. A bst. W o r k . G. W. ergy Commission, laboratory is dis he various forms lir are discussed, thway of inhaled i.sorption, deposiirious respiratory vg. D igest], OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES OF THE LUNGS S r r i '/i / ~Jyyt11Is in _^t!(I11J1yi{tt J 4eaitk A. J. LAN ZA, M.D., New York always remember that in spite of the enor mous amount of research that has been done On behalf of the Institute of Industrial fedicine, may I express my appreciation of le opportunity to participate in this rather nique meeting.' .May I also express my adiration for the work which Dr. Marble and .is associates in the Massachusetts Medical ociety have done in achieving the turnut that we see here today? Industrial medicine is not static. Research ,oes on and clinical knowledge progresses, -> that all of us continue to learn more and aore. That being the case, it does not be hove any of us to be too dogmatic. We must am to adapt our thinking to the changes in ur knowledge and, if necessary, to change air minds. \\ hen I was a bov, they used to mve a saying, " It was only a wooden Indian md a certain kind of fool who wouldn't hange his mind." And occasionally we have o make up our minds that we have to change air minds. in most of the civilized countries of the world on the subject of silicosis--almost enough to fill an ordinary library--we still do not know what is the nature of the action of the silica particle upon pulmonary tissue. Nor do we know why it is that the silicotic is more susceptible than the normal person to tuber culosis. Likewise, for instance, in asbestosis we do not know what is the nature of the action of the asbestos particle upon the pulmonarytissue. The late Dr. Gardner propounded the theory that, contrary to the action of silica, the action of asbestos was largely me chanical. That may be so. On the other hand, it is only fair to state that there is a considerable body of opinion that does not go along with that. Diagnosis -is not always too easy and calls for all the skill that we can muster with respect to getting a careful occu pational history, as well as the clinical and roentgenological evidence that may be avail This matter of occupational diseases of the able. It is incumbent upon us to be very care ungs is not a simple one. It is very com ful and very precise in our use of terms. All plicated and, as in all chronic diseases, pre too commonly people are apt to use these sents a number of variables, the effect of various terms signifying different types of i i vhich we have not always learned how to pneumoconiosis as interchangeable, which is evaluate. \\ e have learned a good deal about not correct. These different types of dlicosis. \\ e have learned something about asbestosis. Those are the two main forms of pneumoconiosis which cause disability and sometimes death. At the same time we must pneumoconiosis, like silicosis and asbestosis and siderosis, are different diseases; and if there is any sloppiness in our use of terms, we only confuse ourselves and make the mat ter of diagnosis and the just treatment of the Chairman, Institute of Industrial .Medicine, New individual worker who may be claiming com York University-- Post-G raduate Medical School. pensation difficult. Read in the Symposium on Occupational Dis eases of the Lungs, sponsored by the Massachusetts Medical Society in cooperation with the Institute ot Industrial Medicine of the New York University --Post-G raduate Medical School, Boston, Oct 28 1953. ' While it is true that we have a fair knowl edge of the action of silica particles and as bestos particles upon the pulmonary tissue as far as the pathology is concerned, we must always remember that these dusts may not, 183 under factory or manufacturing conditions, occur as pure homogeneous particles, because there are often other dust particles among them. As pointed out years ago in researches at Saranac, these other dusts present along with silica modify the action of the silica par ticles. So we have to approach this whole subject with a considerable degree of humil ity, because there is so very much concerning these diseases about which we know very lit tle. Our only hope here lies in the progress in the type of work that you will hear de scribed later in the afternoon by Dr. Wright. The pathologists and physiologists are the only ones who hold the key that may unlock INDUSTRIAL HEALTH the door to further knowledge of what really goes on in the lungs of persons who breathe the various kinds of dust that we find in our working places. So far our estimation of this disability consists mostly of rule-of-thumb methods, and if they can be combined with a certain amount of common sense,- we hope that the standards of dealing with claimants for disability may be of a moderately high order. Again let me emphasize that there is a great deal of work to do. There is a great " deal of knowledge that we do not have. You will hear much more on that from our dis- tinguished speakers this afternoon. 1#