Document zQ9zKEMZL28jq5kdJ0Zmnqjym

FILE NAME: Metropolitan Life (ML) DATE: 1932 Oct 11 DOC#: ML085 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to Met Life from the Dept of Preventative Medicine - McGill University . I V. ' DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE M--c-G--IL--L--U--N--IV-E--R-S-I-T7Y M O N TREAL, N.L. Burnette, Saq., Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Ottawa, Cnt. October 11, 1932. Dear Mr. Burnette: You bare asked me to le t you bare a statement regarding in dustrial hygiene at McGill in time for the American Public Eealtb Association meeting th is month. As you know, I came to Montreal in August, 1927 to take charge of the industrial hygiene work at M cGill. The f ir s t a o tlr ity was the creation of the Industrial C lin ic at the Montreal General Hospital. I t was thought at the time that the best point of contact with industry was through a c lin ic to which cases of occupational disease might be sent for inrestigation and treat ment. A considerable number of such cases were directed to the C lin ic , particu la rly cases of lead poisoning, and contact was made with the industries from which they came. One plant with an exceptionally severe lead hazard actually erec ted a new building, partly, I believe, on our rec ensuedati on, and several plants have Improved their working conditions, by in sta llin g various ventilating devices to carry away poisonous dusts and fumes. Several papers have been published on the subject of lead poisoning, copies of which are enclosed* The occupational pdeoning work has been considered a le ss important a c tiv ity than others, particularly on account of the faet that the num ber of cases of occupational poisoning is small compared with other diseases which a ffe ct industrial workers. A ll evidence points to the fa c t that industrial workera suffer in the main from the same diseases which a ffe c t the general population, and that preventive medicine for industrial workers should be direeted tomrde those diseases and not espeolally towards the so-called occupational diseases. For th is reason, i t was thought that a valuable service could be rendered industry in particular, and the ow m nlty in general, i f industrial health services could be established in the larger industries, so that the health of the workers could be brought under the immediate supervision of a doctor and a morse* t j / Xj 1V / p/ \ j A good deal of time was devoted to " f contact with in dustries which, i t was thought, would be Interested in a scheme e f th is nature. Considerable success was aohieved at f i r s t and flTe plants created health depart ments immediately under our supervision, while four or fiv e other concerns were stimulated to establish medical departments. These medical departments have a l l given satisfaction and are s t i l l operating, but the industrial depression during the la st thres years has msds progrsss in th is work very d i f f i c u lt . . , Industrial Dental C lin ic In connection with the work of the industrial health services, Mef0357