Document qaoZ9eMXNkoDGKRLo46JGdzE5

FILE NAME: Oil Industry and American Petroleum Institute (API) DATE: 1939 July DOC#: API115 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: The Medical Bulletin Article - Standard Oil Company of Louisiana Manufacturing Dept Summery of Medical Activities, 1938 E MEDICAL BULLETIN JULY, 1939 No. 2 si" CONTENTS ffllto rla l Obituary L . J . F e re n c z i, M.D. ORIGINAL ARTICLES Ib d ic a l S t a t i s t i c s f o r 1938....................................................................48 m 1 Ww$ i A. W. S ch o e n leb e r, M.D. Office L i g h t i n g ....................................................................................... 75 James M. Adams, M.D. ' ?ia - Always a T r o p ic a l P r o b l e m ........................................... 87 P . T ek elen b u rg , M.D. rood H andler as a T r a n s m itte r o f A m e b ia s is .........................92 v4i A. W. S c h o en leb er, M.D. |'| ANNUAL MEDICAL REPORTS 'Standard O il Company o f L o u isia n a ,M a n u fa c tu rin g D epartm ent 98 , ' Summary o f M edical A c t i v i t i e s 1938 ^ ;1 I . L . G eorge, M.D. and C. M. A lle n , M.D. -.Istom ational P etro leu m Company L im ite d , M edical R eport f o r 1 9 3 8 ...............................................................................110 yaf p -,. Lewis H. F r a s e r , M.D. H l|: CASE REPORTS fla te atin al I n f e s t a t i o n w ith T a e n ia S a g in a tu m ...........................I l 8 B. B. R. B urns, M.D. 'flliL' Eight Year Old M o t h e r ......................................................................120 F. O valle, M.D., e t a l. . G onorrheal E n d o c a r d i t i s .........................................................124 K. R. F o u rch e r, M.D. ^ fftu re o f Ileum Due t o D ir e c t V io le n c e ................................... 1 2 7 -W. B. B. R. B urns, M.D.  .. <8 MEDICAL -BULLETIN 98 r i e r s i t seemed l 0gi( ttin g th e disease o l m easures, such: .an d lers and servanl .c in s tr u c tio n s , eto| _ca I n f e c tio n s i Aruba Frequency Bat Amebic Colit l 36.8^ 1+.88 1.58 .61 mum. ice f o r th e y ears 193! re f e r r e d to were put| ive been continued b je i t seems safe to cn amebic in fe c tio n a l l o th e r known me' because measures for a marked red u ctl e elsew here, we sh allj h a n d le rs i n our camp! th e c o n tra ry than! . ' STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF LOUISIANA MANUFACTURING DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF MEDICAL ACTIVITIES 1938 I .L . George, M.D, and C. M. A lle n , M.D, Baton Bouge, La. O rganization U*'- i i _ Sfe M edical D epartm ent i s o rg a n iz e d f o r th e p u rp o ses o f 3tln g p e rio d ic ex am in atio n s o f a l l R e fin e ry em ployees; .employment and l a y - o f f ex am in atio n s; co n d u ctin g s p e c ia l ations fo r retirem en t 'o r re te n tio n in serv ice, sp ecial stions fo r illn e s s th a t might be created by in d u s tria l j, and foreign serv ice exam inations;, tre a tin g of a l l and major in ju r ie s th a t occur on th e job; su p erv isin g , f e a s i b l e , g iv in g a d v ice to our employees who a re on jypk r e p o r t; a tte m p tin g t o b u i l d up a b e t t e r and more e f - p personnel in th e fu tu r e by means o f vario u s psycho te s ts ; tre a tin g a t the Refinery H ospital conditions n a tu re re c e iv e d o f f th e jo b t h a t w i l l a id th e em- j|(t o s ta y a t work; s u p e r v is in g th e s a n i t a t i o n o f th e Re mand th e placem ent o f men i n p o s itio n s which th e y can atly f i l l because of various physical or m ental d is Lob; conducting im m unization a g a in s t c o ld s , b o i l s and jr: and f r e q u e n tly g iv in g v a c c in e s recommended by o u t ra in o rd e r t o keep th e men on th e jo b (many p a ringing t h e i r own v a c c in e p re s c rib e d by p h y s ic ia n s to |gOing to town f o r tre a tm e n t), and in g e n e ra l serv in g f&l a d v iso rs to th e em ployees. and th e Management in lean th e y may p r e s e n t. Personnel rsonnel of the M edical Department c o n sists of fo u riV id u a ls; two f u l l - t i m e p h y s ic ia n s , who do exam ina- supervise in g en eral th e e n tire work of th e M edical ttt; two n u rs e s , one who spends p r a c t i c a l l y h e r e n t i r e road v is itin g s ic k employees and giving them w hatlc she can to a i d in t h e i r e a r ly re c o v e ry , and th e 30 d u tie s c o n s is t o f g e n e ra l s u p e rv is io n o f th e h o s- ?ing up s u p p lie s and g iv in g in te llig e n c e t e s t s ; one ** v^ ta k e s c a re o f a l l la b o ra to ry ex am inations as 99 MEDICAL BULLETIN =1 v e i l as th e x -ray departm ent, and i s th e o f f i c i a l photographerfo r th e R efin ery ; one se c re ta ry to th e d o c to rs, vho handles a l l th e re c o rd s going in to th e Nev York o f f i c e , has charge of th e v r i t i n g up o f a l l s ic k c a se s and r e g i s t e r c a rd s , and isi n charge o f a l l g e n e ra l correspondence fo r th e department}., one c h ie f c le r k , vho h a n d les a l l r o u tin e re c o rd s in th e de* partm ent, n o tif ie s a l l employees vhen to re p o rt fo r th e ir ex| am inations (periodic and sp e c ia l), takes care of posting tr a n s f e r s , has charge o f keeping tim e reco rd s and making o th e schedule by v h ich th e f i r s t - a i d men vork, and i s avail1 a b le f o r f i r s t - a i d v o rk vhen n e c e ssa ry ; s ix f i r s t - a i d men, f o\: o f vhom a re on s h i f t d u ty , one, vho a s s i s t s i n p o s tin g min: tre a tm e n ts on th e MD-5' s, has charge o f p re lim in a ry handli o f a l l exam inations f o r th e d o c to rs , such as t e s t i n g eyes hearing and doing u rin a ly ses, v h ile another, is assigned th e physiotherapy departm ent and is kept busy a l l day givi. diatherm y and I n f r a r e d tr e a tm e n ts , m assages, v h i r l pc b a th s , and u l t r a v i o l e t and g a lv a n ic tr e a tm e n ts ; and a ho p ita l porter. R ep o rts During the l a t t e r p a rt of th e y ear th ree papers vere v ri te n on v o rk done in th e M edical D epartm ent o f B aton Rouge f i n e r y . The f i r s t v a s a p a p e r e n t i t l e d "RRELIMINARY ON SICKNESS AT THE BATON ROUGE REFINERY,"* in v h ic h i t pointed out th a t the sick rep o rt had been m aterially less: by the use of a fu lltim e v is itin g nurse and close supervis of th e sickness records.T he next paper vas a re p o rt on "l1 STOOL EXAMINATIONS AT BATON ROUGE REFINERY, " i n v h ic h i t | shovn t h a t 5.33 p e r c e n t o f th e em ployees v e re in f e s te d i n t e s t i n a l p a r a s i t e s . The a c tu a l tre a tm e n t f o r th e f i r s t c a se s amounted to $51.50, v h ic h v a s p a id f o r by th e Camp?: The s to o l exam inations com pleted on December 31* 1938* 1539* v i t h 86 p o s itiv e s t o o l s . T h is v o rk i s t o be c o n tii u n t i l th e e n t i r e R efin ery has been checked; and th e Med Department suggests th a t th is procedure be included in ^ preemployment exam ination as v e i l a s, vhere in d ic a te d , inf em ployees. The t h i r d p a p er i s on "THE USE OF EUCUPH a n a lg e s ic ) IN THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TYPES OF LOW. PAIN." I t i s extrem ely in te r e s t in g to n o te th a t v ith treatm ent th e M edical Department has been able to estimate seventy-eight per cent reduction in d is a b ility resu ltin g th is type of condition, and since th e in s titu tio n of ^ tre a tm e n t th e r e has been v e ry l i t t l e lo s s o f tim e due fc0' back pain. D f f ic ia l photograp J dct o r s , who hanaj o ffic e , has charge i s t e r c a rd s , and fl for th e departmoJ records in the r e p o r t f o r th e ir ej care of posting ;ords and mating fork, and is ava^ Lx f i r s t - a i d men,fo| its in posting >relim inary handle l as t e s t i n g eygl ter, is assigned busy a l l day givl :sages, w h ir l p0 bm ents; and a ho In tellig en ce Tests J tfith in "the n e x t few months th e M edical D epartm ent e x p ec ts llJ L g g e n t to th e Management th e r e s u l t s of t h e i r experim ental iS ik v ith in te llig e n c e t e s t s . I t is hoped th a t th is research a help e s ta b lis h standards th a t w ill a id in b u ild in g a |jfgjhwr type o f p e rs o n n e l i n th e f u tu r e . 5*1 S y p h ilis he M edical D epartm ent i s a ls o p re p a rin g a p a p er on th e Ipjnnl&ence o f s y p h ilis among th e c o lo re d employees and w i l l '' pt to c o rre la te th e accid en t and sickness ra te s in those C'*0 -e r e 'wi't11 'th is d is e a s e and th o se who a re n o t. i ftfwwft th e re i s no P u b lic H e a lth u n i t in Baton Bouge, D octor !,:flphoenleber su g g e s te d t h a t th e M edical D epartm ent make an e f fort to obtain m edicine fo r th e treatm ent of sy p h ilis from F, th 6 S ta te Board o f H e a lth f r e e o f c h arg e; and sh o u ld t h i s be (Docoplished, employees would th en be able to o b ta in treatm en t far syphilis a t th e B efinery H o sp ital w ithout c o st to them. ee p a p ers were writ! t o f Baton Bouge Raj "iBELBCEHARY EEPQ * in which i t m a te ria lly lesser nd close supervisla s a r e p o r t on "12 Y, " in which i t were in f e s te d wit ent fo r the first f o r hy th e Camps h e r 31, 1938, wei is to he continue! d; and th e Medlba e in c lu d e d in thU r e in d ic a te d , in ol USE OF EUCUPIlf (e IB TYPES OF LOW BAC te t h a t w ith th able to estim ate i l i t y r e s u ltin g fra is titu tio n of thi o f tim e due to la B oils and Carbuncles ,1 Seoently the M edical Department has been using A llan to in "Ointment (2$) in w hich i s in c o rp o ra te d C h lo ro b u tan o l 0 .5 p e r 0nt in th e tre a tm e n t o f c h ro n ic u lc e r s , and d u rin g th e p ro OSSS was r a t h e r s u r p r is e d t h a t i t has an e x c e lle n t e f f e c t in the tre atm en t o f b o i l s and c a rb u n c le s ; in f a c t , one p a t i e n t m s having so much tr o u b le from a la r g e c arb u n cle on h is le g M to p re v e n t s le e p . On th e f i r s t day o f a p p lic a tio n of A l- lantoin th e p a in was im m ediately re lie v e d and th e sloughing area began to h e a l. The M edical D epartm ent i s q u ite im p ressftw ith th e use o f t h i s o in tm en t and a t some f u tu r e d a te may have a r e p o r t on i t s use in v a rio u s c o n d itio n s . 1 A lcoholics `f B ecently th e Management came t o th e c o n c lu sio n t h a t many Chronic a lc o h o lic s in th e employ o f th e Company would be w orth Salvaging, i f p o s s ib le to do so . In accordance w ith t h i s thought th e y have s e t up a program whereby any employee who has not as y e t " g o tte n h is b u s in e s s in a jam ," so t o speak, hut who f e e l s t h a t a lc o h o l h as g o tte n such a h o ld on him t h a t *7 V iU n o t be a b le t o b re a k i t , may go to an i n s t i t u t i o n f o r S. cure of a lc o h o lism and d u rin g h is s ta y th e re th e Company 101 MEDICAL BULLETIN w ill pay him h is re g u la r sic k n e ss B e n e fits . At th e press tim e f iv e o u t o f n in e have a c c e p te d t h i s o f f e r from th e Cc pany. Heat Exhaustion About J u ly 1, 1938., th e M edical D epartm ent was Being quired to t r e a t q u ite a few h eat exhaustion cases. I t n o te d t h a t By f a r th e l a r g e r p e rc e n ta g e o f th e s e came from t*C coke s t i l l s . Upon in v e s t ig a ti o n i t was found t h a t the coloi workmen on th e s e s t i l l s w ere a p p a re n tly n o t ta k in g t h e i r a t a b l e t s . F ollow ing th e work done By th e H arvard F a tig u e C: m issio n a t th e Youngstown S h eet and Tube m ills and Boulfl Dam, th e M edical D epartm ent re q u e s te d t h a t a l e v e l teaspoon f u l o f ta b l e s a l t Be p la c e d in each g a llo n o f d rin k in g wats t h i s Being a .1 o f one p e r c e n t s o lu tio n o f s a l t w a te r whi when taken in te r n a lly would re p la c e th e amount of s a l t loi in sw eat. Follow ing t h i s th e re were no fu r th e r complain' from h eat exhaustion and th e foreman s ta te d he was able g e t much more work o u t of h is men w ith o u t t h e i r Becoming ne? ly so exhausted. During th e l a t t e r p a rt of th e year th irty s ix p o rta b le s a n it a r y p re s s u re d rin k in g fo u n ta in s have Be* d is trib u te d to the various gangs and i t is contem plated ne' summer u sin g s ix te e n t h i n s a l t w a fers o f I 5J g ra in s to a f< g a llo n s a n it a r y p re s s u re d rin k in g f o u n ta in in s te a d o f measp in g th e s a l t By te a sp o o n . i P erio d ic Examinations There were 2,^52 p e r io d ic ex am in atio n s made d u rin g y e a r, 1,911 o f which were done w ith in th e l a s t s ix months an e f f o r t to B ring th e schedule up to d a te . During J u ly 1938 th e reco rd s of th e e n tire personnel checked and d a te s f o r p e r io d ic ex am in atio n s s e t up method developed By D r. J a s . M. Adams, w hich i s as f o lic Employees Between th e ages o f tw en ty t o 't h i r t y a re to Be amined every th re e y e a rs; employees Between t h i r t y and fc would Be due an ex am inatio n ev ery two y e a rs ; employees Betw f o r t y and f i f t y would Be due ev ery e ig h te e n m onths; employ! Between f i f t y and s ix ty every y e ar, and from s ix ty to f i v e every s ix m onths. A ccording t o t h i s sch ed u le th e dep ment i s due t o com plete 1 , 9^5 p e r io d ic exam inations chtf* th e year 1939. This does n o t in clu d e s p e c ia l examinations,; These exam inations a re so a rra n g e d t h a t f i v e men r e p o r t th e h o s p ita l a t 7*30 in th e m orning, f iv e a t 8 o 'c lo c k , f t SUMMARY OF MEDICAL A C T IV IT IE S 1938 102 i|-v 8*30 o 'c lo c k and u s u a lly by 9 :30 o r 10 o 'c lo c k th e d a y 's JwfBfOc,t.i/ Qf p e rio d ic ex am in atio n s i s com pleted, allo w in g th e doctors to d i r e c t more tim e to s ic k n e s s c a se s, f i r s t - a i d ^|rlE and i n d u s t r i a l r e s e a r c h . Pi Employment and L a y -o ff Exam inations v |jV MSj)uring th e y e a r 1938 a t o t a l o f 663 employment ex am in atio n s ^ made and in th e e a r l y p a r t o f th e y e a r no in te llig e n c e be were given t o th o s e new em ployees; however, s t a r t i n g fi'ing th e month of August each new a p p lic a n t was given an fcitude t e s t , u s in g th e O tis G en eral I n te llig e n c e Examina tion. By th e end o f th e y e a r a p p ro x im a te ly 125 o f th e s e gt6 had Been given to new em ployees. T his, in co n ju n ctio n J t h 568 t e s t s g iv en to o ld em ployees, makes a t o t a l o f 693 intelligence exam inations given during the year 1938. All'men le a v in g th e s e r v ic e o f th e Company in 1938 f o r any reason were examined hy th e M edical Departm ent a t th e tim e of their le a v in g . When th e e x am in atio n showed a m ajor o r m inor injury t h a t had n o t re a c h e d maximum improvement th e employee ::18S not l a i d o f f h u t k e p t on th e r o l l s u n t i l maximum im proveMSt was re a c h e d , a t w hich tim e he was th e n approved hy th e Madlcal D epartm ent f o r l a y - o f f . I t i s th e f e e lin g o f th e ltofllcal D epartm ent t h a t th e h a n d lin g o f c a se s in t h i s manner f i ll m a te ria lly c u r t a i l th e number o f in d u s tr ia l co n tro v er sies. There were a p p ro x im a te ly 912 such exam inations made taring th e y e a r. JfS L ost Time S ickness Cases A very d e ta ile d re p o rt on sick n ess s t a t i s t i c s fo r th e p a s t fife years was j u s t r e c e n tly com piled and forw arded to th o se Interested. The l a s t two months - November and December -- o f *938were n o t in c lu d e d . B r ie f ly re v ie w in g th e r e p o r t made OVfflaber 25t h , i t has b een found t h a t th e r e was an average of employees in th e M anufacturing Department during 1938. Was a t o t a l of 2 ,0 k k s ic k c a se s d u rin g th e y e a r who *6t a t o t a l o f 3 0 ,k86 d a y s. In a d d itio n , th e r e were 101 ^ " i n d u s t r i a l a c c id e n ts who l o s t a t o t a l of 1,920 days, th e tafind t o t a l f o r s ic k n e s s and n o n - in d u s tr i a l a c c id e n ts b e in g cases lo s in g a t o t a l o f ^>2.,bo6 d ay s. L:S!! 103 MEDICAL BULLETIN lilil Il 'IIM -1:!: 'liiilii' ii'. si liii; If!!;!)!! m i- .. la i' iiilii D aily I n e ffe c tiv e B ate Per 1000 Employees from Sickness 1933....................................................... 1 ^ .9 1 9 3 ^ ... ................................................. 13.2 1935 ....................................................1 6.5 1936 ............................ 17.7 1937 ....................................................1 3 .6 1938 ....................................................i k . k Frequency Bate The 'fre q u en c y r a t e (number o f employees o f f s ic k p er 10 f o r th e y e a r 1938 i s 1*61 p e r 1000 em ployees, th e r a te 1937 b ein g 536 p e r 1000. Days L ost Per Employee 193^.........................................................It-. 8 1935 ................................... 6.0 1936 ......................................................6 .5 1 9 3 7 . . . . . ...............................................7 .^ 1938........................................... . . . . . . . 7 . 0 Days L ost Per Case 1 9 3 ^ ............................. 12.9 1935 ................ '..................................1^ . 8 1936 ....................................................12.5 1937 ....................................................13 .7 1938 ....................................................1 5 .1 / The days l o s t p e r case in c re a s e in p ro p o rtio n to th e cases prolonged, illn e s s . A Comparison o f th e L a s t S ix YearB o f th e Amount Paid, in Sickness B e n e fits to Salaried.. Employees and. Wage E a rn e rs Year 193^ 1935 1936 1937 1938 Total B enefits $ 37, ^ 60.89 38,1*1*0.28 1*7,845.11 76,312.1*6 113,7^7.50 Av. P er Month $ 3, 121. 7!* 3.203.36 3,987.10 6.359.37 9,478.95 SUMMARY jyjj.-time b e n e fit , f i r s t seven mont lowing th e i n s t i M*l*1.60 were paid t average f o r th e * average fo r the lords in d ic a te hot ^ m aintain a fuld >ambulatory cases |odically u n til i Sicki fDuring the year ' ges were seen a L The M edical er than th o se wh ibed some ty p e o pital A ssociatio iron a t th e Define |The panitary sqi jftaking care of i re B till remain Ber boxes which gement. jT h e program of |_,being continued 'As s ta te d p rev ii drinking foun bI b and b u ck et w ill be used. I-At the p re sen t Pious p o in ts in *B in b ein g p la c e This seems ^ partment had in ^Pder to prevent t the -water, the ? i l a t th e ic e he per tem perature is i t . In vi SUMMARY OF MEDICAL A C T IV IT IE S 19 3 8 104 iju ll-tim e "benefits went in to e ffe c t in August, 1937- For f i r s t seven months of 1938, $74,305.90 were p aid out and lowing th e i n s t i t u t i o n o f a f u l l - t i m e v i s i t i n g n u rse Iflfl. 60 were p a id o u t th e l a s t f i v e months o f th e y e a r , /average f o r th e f i r s t seven months was $10, 615.13 and average f o r th e l a s t f iv e months was $ 7 ,8 8 8 .3 2 . The above rde in d ic a te how im p o rta n t i t i s t h a t th e M edical D p art t m aintain a fu ll-tim e v is itin g n u rse. This nurse urges 7 ambjuLatory c ase s t o r e p o r t t o th e Company d o cto rs* o f f ic e lodilbally u n til they are able to re tu rn to work. S ic k n e ss Cases Wot L osing Time 'During th e y ear 9,718 s ic k and n o n -in d u s tria l accid en t nee were seen a t o t a l o f 23,426 tim e s f o r ad v ice and t r e a t - The M edical D epartm ent made no a tte m p t t o t r e a t c ase s than th o se who were am bulatory o r who had been p r e ;-ibed some ty p e o f tr e a tm e n t by th e S ta n o c o la M edical and ita l A ssociation or th e ir fam ily physician which could be a t th e R efin ery H o sp ita l w hile th ey rem ained on th e W "- Plant Sanitation imfc The s a n ita r y squad o rg a n iz e d in 1937 c o n tin u e s to fu n c tio n . taking care of the bathrooms and t o i l e t s in the R efinery. .There s t i l l rem ain a number o f o ld bathrooms under th e con'deneer boxes w hich a re g ra d u a lly b e in g e lim in a te d by th e Mtaagement. ,{J|T he program of th e p rev en tio n of a th le te 's fo o t in fe c tio n being continued by th e use of Penchlor. 'As, s t a t e d p re v io u s ly , t h i r t y - s i x p o rta b le s a n ita r y p r e s ire d rin k in g fo u n ta in s have p a r t i a l l y re p la c e d th e w ater hairrels and b u ck ets. I f th e se prove su c c e ssfu l, no doubt, ore w ill be used. ,!p;At th e p re s e n t tim e i t i s a p r a c tic e to d e liv e r ic e to ^TOrious p o in ts in th e R e fin e ry and t h i s i s h andled by employ e e in being placed in the p ortable san itary drinking fount ains. This seems to p a r t i a l l y d e fe a t th e id ea th e Medical Department had in mind in recommending th e fo u n ta in s . In Order to p re v e n t h a n d lin g o f ic e and p la c in g th e ic e d ir e c tly 4n the w a ter, the M edical Departm ent in te n d s recommending a Ii?P- at th e ic e house where th e w ater w i l l be k e p t a t th e oper tem perature and i t w ill not be n ecessary to p lace th e 00 in i t . In view o f th e s iz e o f th e R e fin e ry th e r e w i l l 105 MEDICAL BULLETIN p r o ! a l l y Le some o b je c tio n s ; how ever, i t i s hoped t h a t the can he overcome and a t no p la ce w ill th e re he ic e in : drinking w ater. An a tte m p t w i l l he made hy th e M edical D epartm ent to lc th e 'm a la ria r a t e t h i s summer and t o e lim in a te m osquito Lre^ ing areas. I t also hopes to reduce the r a t population at : R efinery hy clean lin ess and the in s ta lla tio n of covered bage cans in areas where employees e a t th e ir lunch. O ccupational D isease Hazards S olv en t Dewaxing P la n t Prom tim e to tim e th e re i s an o c c a sio n a l complaint nausea hy an employee w orking a t th e S o lv e n t Dewaxing pla|f) however, th e M edical D epartm ent has a c tu a lly seen no evide o f i l l n e s s caused by the fumes a t t h i s p l a n t . I t was usui found t h a t th e men who com plained e i t h e r had n o t been f o il ing th e s a f e ty r e g u la tio n s o r th e y were u sin g th o se camplaii in o rd e r to he t r a n s f e r r e d to some o th e r d ep artm en t. When' man com plains o f h is work around th e Dewaxing p l a n t , M edical Department has made every e f f o r t to have him t r 1 f e r r e d to some o th e r p a r t o f th e R e f in e r y . The p la n t is n in g a t reduced c a p a c ity and p e rm its a b e t t e r c o n tro l fra| medical standpoint. Phenol Plants There have been no s e r io u s i n j u r i e s t o men w orking as th ese p la n ts; however, th e h o s p ita l has tre a te d q u ite a s u p e r f ic ia l burns which seem to happen more a t th e time a turn-around. Lead S p e c ia l exam inations c o n tin u e t o he made on men handile a d , on p a in te r s , l i t h a r g e h a n d le r s , la b o r a to r y vori! handling te tr a - e th y l le a d , co lo red employees assigned ^ clean in g ta n k s, and a ls o le a d b u rn e rs . These examinati-. a re made tw ic e each y e a r and th e r e has been no evidence any to x ic symptoms. Benzol Benzol exam inations have been continued b u t no evidence' toxic absorption found. " ! SUMMARY OF MEDICAL A C T IV IT IE S 1938 106 loped th a t tj he ice in lartm ent to l | ? mosquito h r! lopulation a tf of covered lunch. W elders (Eye Exam inations) examinations of a l l w elders have revealed nothing ab , However, a f t e r c o n v e rsa tio n w ith th e M echanical Su- tntendent, i t appears th a t th e M edical Department should foe th e se w e ld ers a t re a d in g d is ta n c e s as w e ll as d is ta n t tag. One o r two c a se s have shown up in which v is io n was !$ feriijig w ith work, y e t when checked f o r d ista n c e t h e i r bsi I vere jnorm al. P lacin g of g la sse s on th e se employees co r- j`d t h e i r v is u a l d i f f i c u l t i e s . The S a fe ty Department f u r - 3S e l e c t r i c w eld ers p r e s c r i p t i o n g o g g les whenever recam - gad by an o c u l i s t . 1 com plaint| Dewaxing pda seen no evid I t was usi not been fol th o s e compie ortm ent. When! ixing plant tave him tra Tie p la n t is c o n tr o l from! . w orking abo ed quite a t th e time I n men hand o r a to r y work es assigned | se examinatiflj no evidence no evidence! Dust Hazards ,e vacuum c le a n in g system in th e L u b ric a tin g F i l t e r ding i s now in o p e ra tio n . I t a p p e a rs , however, a t t h i s ^fchat a d ju stm en ts w i l l be n e c e s sa ry in o rd e r to p ro p e rly 1 th e d u st c le a n in g up o p e r a tio n s . The d u st c o lle c tio n is in process of in s ta lla tio n and w ill not be complet- `o r about s ix ty days; t h e r e f o r e , no comments can be made s tim e on th e u n it. v is io n s a re being made in th e c ru sh e r u n it where cork iasb esto s are handled to c o n tro l th e du st by means of a r and duct which are connected to th e feed hopper and |,Charged to a p o in t o u ts id e th e door. study i s b e in g made o f sand b l a s t i n g o p e ra tio n s a t Baton R efinery w ith th e view of lo c a tin g a sand b la s tin g shop ..p o in t rem ote from where men g a th e r , w ith f a c i l i t i e s f o r rolling the dust and p rev en tin g i t from being lib e ra te d ?he atm osphere. to rs and blowers have been in s ta lle d in connection w ith S' to o l g rin d e rs and a b ra s iv e b ru sh e s in th e Salvage and Retio n shop. S im ila r u n its a re on hand and w ill be i n ed in th e n e a r fu tu r e in connectio n w ith th e Yankee g rin d e r and U n iv e rsal to o l g rin d e r in th e Machine shop, t has been in d ic a te d by v ario u s a u th o ritie s th a t i t would ' 0# .in te re s tin g to see x - r a y p ic tu r e s o f men t h a t had been emfloyed f o r many y e a rs as e l e c t r i c w eld ers and we p la n a t th e 'l' 8#rt exam ination o f w eld ers to ta k e x -ra y s o f t h e i r c h e s ts . e s tim a tio n has been p re p a re d and forw arded to th e lo c a l ernent c o v erin g th e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f a fume rem oval system tbe b u ild in g where a c e ty le n e b ra z in g and w elding o p era are carried o u t. P tailed exam inations w ith x - r a y o f th e lungs o f a l l men 107 MEDICAL BULLETIN w orking in L ust h a z a rd s , in c lu d in g F i l t e r B u ild in g emp; sand B la s te r s and a sB e sto s w o rk e rs, a re made each ye' some o f th e s e in d iv id u a ls th e r e does seem to Be some ed m arkings in th e l i n g s , t u t i t has n o t Been found ne to make any recommendations f o r rem oval of any of th e] from th e ir occu p atio n s. Chemical P la n t The Chemical P la n t has te e n o u t o f s e rv ic e f o r sc u n t i l r e c e n tly ; th e r e f o r e , a t p r e s e n t i t i s manufsm all B atches of c a t a l y s t f o r e x p e rim e n ta l purposes an are no p a rtic u la r hazards involved. L a b o ra to rie s Exam inations a re co nducted on men in th e la b o ra to rie s handle le a d , Benzol and o th e r to x ic m a t e r i a l s . To da one has te e n found to show to x ic symptoms. C ataly tic Polym erization Plant The sc re e n in g o f th e c a t a l y s t p r i o r to ch arg in g the a t th is p lan t presen ts a dust problem and adequate prot i s p ro v id e d in th e open By th e use o f proven d u st re s p ira When h a n d lin g th e c a t a l y s t in an e n c lo se d a re a , such asin th e tow ers, fre s h a i r masks and rubber gloves are This c a t a l y s t when s u b je c te d t o m o istu re w i l l Bum th e and rubber gloves and rubber goggles are used in ad d iti' a r e s p i r a t o r whenever h a n d lin g th e m a te r ia l in a moi s ta te . I P ro p er Placem ent Of D is a b le d Employees l The M edical D epartm ent c o n tin u e s to have i t s pro among employees who s u f f e r d i s a b i l i t i e s o f v a ry in g de The Management g iv e s t h e i r f u l l c o o p e ra tio n in secu rin g th a t is s u ita b le to th e s e d is a b le d men. Equipment D uring 1938 t h r e e i n f r a r e d l i g h t s were added to th e e ment of the M edical D epartm ent. Also s ix ta b le t-c h a irs been added f o r th e use o f men ta k in g in te llig e n c e t e s t s , is a n tic ip a te d and hoped th a t th e M edical Department wil SUMMARY OF MEDICAL A C T IV IT IE S 19 3 8 108 %fe' IS to purchase a needed x - r a y d u rin g th e y e ar 1939. The vflent machine h as heen in use f o r alm o st tw enty y e a rs and obsolete and in ad eq u ate. is hoped also th a t an electrocardiograph w ill he purledj which th e departm ent f e e ls i s v e ry much needed in "fdlagnosis, prognosis and treatm ent of h e a rt cases. I t is It th a t w ith th is machine more d e fn ite and d e ta ile d in fo rvJItjon can he f u r n is h e d t o th e New York M edical D epartm ent as as th e lo c a l Management in re g a rd to th e s ta tu s of h e a rt "B and, no d o u b t,w ill pay f o r i t s e l f in a v e ry s h o rt tim e . have heen many re q u e s ts from employees th a t t h i s type equipment he added to th e R efin ery H o sp ita l. "idlit i s a n tic ip a te d t h a t a new ambulance w i l l he p ro c u re d as f;`|0On as th e 1939 b u d g et i s approved. rS ; SUMMARY OF ROUTINE WORK f ll 1938 - ,Examina tio n s - P e rio d ic and S p e c ia l..................................... 2,796 i^ficaminations - A p p lic a n ts ........................................................... 663 '.^ ttts id e v i s i t s by d o c to r and n u r s e ....................................... 3,999 /.Approved f o r r e tu r n t o d u ty ....................................................... 2,144 'laboratory e x a m in a tio n s .................................................................. 4,941 |X|M y e x a m in a tio n s.......................................................................... 1,184 "^ jlirsio th e ra p y tr e a tm e n ts ............................................................. 3,457 jlocicLents - No L o st T im e ............................................................ 3,267 JOidents - R e d re s s in g s ................................................................ 8,962 Ok Cases - No L o s t Time........................................................... 8,675 , l - i n d u s tr ia l a c c id e n t c a s e s - No L o st Time................. 1,043 prfJick - O ffice v i s i t s ................................... ,,................................ 20,820 'Io n -in d u s tria l a c c id e n ts (O ffic e v i s i t s ) No L ost Time 2,606 Average number o f em ployees......................................................... 4,652 p e t a l No. o f c a se s lo s in g tim e( S ic k n e s s ) ........................... 2,044 P e ta l No. o f days l o s t from s ic k n e s s ....................................30,486 fr Total No. o f c ase s lo s in g tim e ( N o n -in d u s tr ia l a c c .) 101 P e ta l No. o f days l o s t from n o n - in d u s tr i a l a c c id e n ts . 1,920 p e tly average - number s ic k - lo s in g tim e ........................ 88.23 jk. sic k n e ss r a t e p e r 1000 em ployees............................... l 8 .8 P e ta l No. o f a c c id e n ts - D is a b lin g - NEW.......................... 25 P?tal No. o f days l o s t from a c c id e n ts ................................. I , l 8 8 average - number a c c id e n ts - lo s in g tim e ............. 8 i# tly a c c id e n t r a t e p e r 1000em ployees................................. 3-25 .7 luency r a t e p e r 1000 employees ( s i c k n e s s ) ................. 439 `Squency r a t e p e r 1000 employees (N o n -in d u s tr ia l a c c .) 22 Je l o s t p e r c ase ( s i c k n e s s ) .................................................. 14.9 109 MEDICAL BULLETIN SUMMARY OF ROUTINE WORK (C ontinued) Days l o s t p e r case ( N o n -in d u s tr ia l a c c id e n ts ) ........... Days l o s t p e r employee ( s i c k n e s s ) ..................................... Days l o s t p e r employee (N o n -in d u stria l a c c id e n ts ) .. T o ta l v i s i t s to R e fin e ry h o s p i t a l "by em ployees......... Average number o f v i s i t s p e r em ployee............................ V isits to Ref. h o sp ita l other than Ref.em ployees. . . T o ta l h o s p ita l v is its - R e f in e r y and o t h e r s .................... A p titu d e e x a m in a tio n s............................................................... 19,0 6,5 39, 8,4 i ; iqq t-0,2i $ *See MEDICAL BULLETIN,V o l, h , N o .l, p p .7 -1 3 ,A p ril I 959, We have fr e q u e n tly c a ll e d a t t e n t i o n to th e f a c t t h a t f a c to r s o th e r th a n a c tu a l s ic k n e s s d i s a b i l i t y m ust he COB* s id e r e d when stu d y in g d is e a s e freq u e n cy r a t e s . The followin| e x tr a c t from a m onthly r e p o r t su b m itte d by D r. Tekelerib o f Soengei Gerong, Sumatra, i l l u s t r a t e s th e fa c t th a t r e l i g i o u s h o lid a y s may have an in flu e n c e on sic k n e s s rateflf "As f a r as th e Mohammedans a re concerned, t h i s month was t h e i r y e a r ly L e n t, en d in g w ith t h e i r New Y ear,/* a tim e which a tru e n a tiv e does not want to pass i n ; a h o s p ita l, and in order to avoid th is "risk " they do n o t re p o rt f o r sic k n e ss d u rin g th e days b e fo re . I t i s a re g u la r e v e n t, th a t during th e Lent and Mohammedan New Y ear, th e h o s p i t a l i s a t l e a s t h a lf empty, but a f te r th e good tim e is over, p a tie n ts w i l l v e ry q u ic k ly f i l l th e empty b e d s. Some of these natives th a t pass th e ir vacation in th e ir na t i v e v i l l a g e s w i l l come b ack w ith d y s e n te ry , ma l a r i a o r o th e r d is e a s e s w hich th e y g o t th e r e and o th ers have been i l l fo r a few days, b u t d id not re p o rt." E d ito r 's Note.