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ACCOMMODATION FOR SEAMEN.
714 the
development of granulated tumours, though it must be remembered, as we pointed out Doubt recently in another connexion, these may be gathered adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, &c." seems to be present in the first stages of any case as to on systems which are not really comparable :— whether it is benign or malignant. For some indefinite Royal Navy, Merchant Marine, 1913-14. 1913. reason a sharp distinction is drawn in the report between Total number of men 245,619 tumours of the bladder due to aniline compounds, 126,830 5’01 1’18 Death-rate from injury...... and epithelial carcinomata as seen among workers 4-1 2-06 disease ...... manipulating tar, shale oils, and pitch. In each case at first there is an overgrowth of epithelial tissue, 9’11 3’24 Total death-rate papilloma of the bladder in the one case and skin warts a death to have Service would The Merchant appear in the other. In each case difficulty arises in deterand from which is rate from disease double, on injury the has taken when malignant mining overgrowth characters; O’Donovan2 holds that in dealing with tar quadruple, that of the Royal Navy in peace-time. We should have to go back 20 years to find so high a deathcancer we have in all probability a carcinomatous histological picture from the beginning. In each case rate from disease alone in the Navy, but it is three The report metastasis is not the rule. In each case there is a times higher in the Merchant Service. chemical similarity in the bodies bringing about the points out that, " apart from the question of protissue changes ; aniline is a benzene compound, while viding healthier and brighter housing conditions tar, paraffin, and pitch are all distillation products of for the Mercantile Marine in return for their noble vegetable matter containing benzene derivatives. self-sacrifice during the war and their heroic work Determination, in these instances of occupational in saving the Allies from starvation and ruin," our cancers, of the precise substances which can induce foreign competitors are giving their men better hyperplasia in living tissues might go far to disclosing accommodation, and British sailors and firemen have the first stage from normality to abnormality upon shown preference for service in American merchant I which malignancy is finally superimposed. Probably vessels, where conditions of life are so much better.’ to of the town council induced coal-tar According Newport large cancer, chimney-sweeps’ by products in soot, and cancer of the lip and buccal cavity, induced numbers of ships have been recently built with the warby products of tobacco distillation, would be found to time improvements omitted, and this without official interference. A 48-hour week for seamen may possibly have a similar primary cause. Considerable effort has been made to discover which in the near future be adopted. In that case crews must chemical products are at fault. Evidence points to the be much larger, more accommodation will be quickly aminobenzenes, particularly benzidene and (3-naphthyl- required, and it is the more important that we should amine. The path of entry into the body is not clear; have good plans ready now. The need for international probably the respiratory and digestive tracts, as well agreement in this matter is real, for ships pass from as the skin, each play their part; but the analogy of country to country and crews are of many nationalities, T.N.T. poisoning would suggest that the skin is the and the Newport report is sound in urging that the most important. The path of exit is indicated by the League of Nations should establish a minimum interpathological results; Kuchenberger claims to have national standard of marine hygiene for sailors’ accomfound a colour test by which the presence in the urine modation. The report is to be sent to the Prime of amino-aromatic compounds can be demonstrated. Minister, the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Health, The value of this test, like Webster’s test among T.N.T. and others interested in, and with power over, port workers, is to establish the presence of exposure to sanitary work, from whom we trust it will get the risk, and the necessity for more efficient means of careful attention it deserves. It marks an epoch in the for seamen in their ships, prophylaxis. Exposure can be minimised by good fight for good accommodation of the medical officer health for Newport, Dr. J. where or dust ventilation, rigorous cleanliness, prevention removal, short periods of work, clean overalls, and a Howard-Jones, has long been a protagonist. clean skin. Periodical medical examination, including cystoscopy, is needed. Milk should be given to the SIR WILLIAM THORBURN. workers, and alcohol and smoking prohibited. AT the end of last year, as our Manchester correThis pamphlet, which contains a valuable bibliorecorded at the time in our news columns, graphy of the subject dealt with, will, we hope, only be spondent the forerunner of other interesting studies concerned Sir William Thorburn resigned his appointment as senior honorary surgeon to the Manchester Royal with diseases peculiar to industry. Infirmary, doing so, as we were aware, a little before his time expired in order to devote himself more entirely to the private practice of his specialty. The FOR SEAMEN. ACCOMMODATION resignation necessarily carried with it the vacation of WE are informed that the town council of Newport the chair of clinical surgery in the University of (Mon.) has formally complained against the unsatisfac- Manchester. The Council and the Senate of the tory Regulations of the Board of Trade which permit the University, in accepting the double resignation, present degrading type of accommodation for seamen expressed their appreciation of his services and passed The a resolution referring to his distinguished record and to continue in the British Merchant Service. report adopted by the council states that the time is skill in the practice of his profession. The very warmth ripe for the revision of the British regulations for the of this expression, which was widely published in the hygiene of crew spaces in order to secure larger cubic press, has had the embarrassing result of misspace for sailors, and urges that a strong committee leading many of Sir William Thorburn’s friends to representing the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Health, believe that he has retired from practice. We shipowners, shipbuilders, the officers and men of the are glad to assure them that this is not the Merchant Service, port sanitary authorities, and the case. He has always remained in full private practice, Admiralty be set up with this object. The council nor has his connexion with the hospital ceased. points out that the present British official standards are At a meeting of the medical board of the Mantoo low, and in some respects inferior to those insisted chester Royal Infirmary, held on March 30th, a resoluupon by many foreign countries and British colonies. tion was moved and carried confirming the appointment The council proceeds to say that the excessive rates of Sir William Thorburn to continue to give lectures on for sickness and deaths amongst seamen are closely the surgery of the nervous system and to continue related to the unfavourable conditions of their lives at doing surgical work at the Infirmary. The figures per thousand for the Navy and the sea. WE regret to record the death, at the age of 55 years, Merchant Marine, drawn from the best statistics available before the war, strengthen these arguments, of Dr. Robert Murray Leslie, senior physician to the Prince of Wales Hospital and to the Royal Chest 2 O’Donovan, W. J.: Epitheliomatous Ulceration Among Tar Hospital, City-road. papilloma,
carcinoma,
......
.........
.........
.........
"
......
Workers, British Journal of Dermatology and Syphilis, vol. xxxii., 1920.
1
THE LANCET, 1921,
i., 90.
development of granulated tumours, though it must be remembered, as we pointed out Doubt recently in another connexion, these may be gathered adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, &c." seems to be present in the first stages of any case as to on systems which are not really comparable :— whether it is benign or malignant. For some indefinite Royal Navy, Merchant Marine, 1913-14. 1913. reason a sharp distinction is drawn in the report between Total number of men 245,619 tumours of the bladder due to aniline compounds, 126,830 5’01 1’18 Death-rate from injury...... and epithelial carcinomata as seen among workers 4-1 2-06 disease ...... manipulating tar, shale oils, and pitch. In each case at first there is an overgrowth of epithelial tissue, 9’11 3’24 Total death-rate papilloma of the bladder in the one case and skin warts a death to have Service would The Merchant appear in the other. In each case difficulty arises in deterand from which is rate from disease double, on injury the has taken when malignant mining overgrowth characters; O’Donovan2 holds that in dealing with tar quadruple, that of the Royal Navy in peace-time. We should have to go back 20 years to find so high a deathcancer we have in all probability a carcinomatous histological picture from the beginning. In each case rate from disease alone in the Navy, but it is three The report metastasis is not the rule. In each case there is a times higher in the Merchant Service. chemical similarity in the bodies bringing about the points out that, " apart from the question of protissue changes ; aniline is a benzene compound, while viding healthier and brighter housing conditions tar, paraffin, and pitch are all distillation products of for the Mercantile Marine in return for their noble vegetable matter containing benzene derivatives. self-sacrifice during the war and their heroic work Determination, in these instances of occupational in saving the Allies from starvation and ruin," our cancers, of the precise substances which can induce foreign competitors are giving their men better hyperplasia in living tissues might go far to disclosing accommodation, and British sailors and firemen have the first stage from normality to abnormality upon shown preference for service in American merchant I which malignancy is finally superimposed. Probably vessels, where conditions of life are so much better.’ to of the town council induced coal-tar According Newport large cancer, chimney-sweeps’ by products in soot, and cancer of the lip and buccal cavity, induced numbers of ships have been recently built with the warby products of tobacco distillation, would be found to time improvements omitted, and this without official interference. A 48-hour week for seamen may possibly have a similar primary cause. Considerable effort has been made to discover which in the near future be adopted. In that case crews must chemical products are at fault. Evidence points to the be much larger, more accommodation will be quickly aminobenzenes, particularly benzidene and (3-naphthyl- required, and it is the more important that we should amine. The path of entry into the body is not clear; have good plans ready now. The need for international probably the respiratory and digestive tracts, as well agreement in this matter is real, for ships pass from as the skin, each play their part; but the analogy of country to country and crews are of many nationalities, T.N.T. poisoning would suggest that the skin is the and the Newport report is sound in urging that the most important. The path of exit is indicated by the League of Nations should establish a minimum interpathological results; Kuchenberger claims to have national standard of marine hygiene for sailors’ accomfound a colour test by which the presence in the urine modation. The report is to be sent to the Prime of amino-aromatic compounds can be demonstrated. Minister, the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Health, The value of this test, like Webster’s test among T.N.T. and others interested in, and with power over, port workers, is to establish the presence of exposure to sanitary work, from whom we trust it will get the risk, and the necessity for more efficient means of careful attention it deserves. It marks an epoch in the for seamen in their ships, prophylaxis. Exposure can be minimised by good fight for good accommodation of the medical officer health for Newport, Dr. J. where or dust ventilation, rigorous cleanliness, prevention removal, short periods of work, clean overalls, and a Howard-Jones, has long been a protagonist. clean skin. Periodical medical examination, including cystoscopy, is needed. Milk should be given to the SIR WILLIAM THORBURN. workers, and alcohol and smoking prohibited. AT the end of last year, as our Manchester correThis pamphlet, which contains a valuable bibliorecorded at the time in our news columns, graphy of the subject dealt with, will, we hope, only be spondent the forerunner of other interesting studies concerned Sir William Thorburn resigned his appointment as senior honorary surgeon to the Manchester Royal with diseases peculiar to industry. Infirmary, doing so, as we were aware, a little before his time expired in order to devote himself more entirely to the private practice of his specialty. The FOR SEAMEN. ACCOMMODATION resignation necessarily carried with it the vacation of WE are informed that the town council of Newport the chair of clinical surgery in the University of (Mon.) has formally complained against the unsatisfac- Manchester. The Council and the Senate of the tory Regulations of the Board of Trade which permit the University, in accepting the double resignation, present degrading type of accommodation for seamen expressed their appreciation of his services and passed The a resolution referring to his distinguished record and to continue in the British Merchant Service. report adopted by the council states that the time is skill in the practice of his profession. The very warmth ripe for the revision of the British regulations for the of this expression, which was widely published in the hygiene of crew spaces in order to secure larger cubic press, has had the embarrassing result of misspace for sailors, and urges that a strong committee leading many of Sir William Thorburn’s friends to representing the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Health, believe that he has retired from practice. We shipowners, shipbuilders, the officers and men of the are glad to assure them that this is not the Merchant Service, port sanitary authorities, and the case. He has always remained in full private practice, Admiralty be set up with this object. The council nor has his connexion with the hospital ceased. points out that the present British official standards are At a meeting of the medical board of the Mantoo low, and in some respects inferior to those insisted chester Royal Infirmary, held on March 30th, a resoluupon by many foreign countries and British colonies. tion was moved and carried confirming the appointment The council proceeds to say that the excessive rates of Sir William Thorburn to continue to give lectures on for sickness and deaths amongst seamen are closely the surgery of the nervous system and to continue related to the unfavourable conditions of their lives at doing surgical work at the Infirmary. The figures per thousand for the Navy and the sea. WE regret to record the death, at the age of 55 years, Merchant Marine, drawn from the best statistics available before the war, strengthen these arguments, of Dr. Robert Murray Leslie, senior physician to the Prince of Wales Hospital and to the Royal Chest 2 O’Donovan, W. J.: Epitheliomatous Ulceration Among Tar Hospital, City-road. papilloma,
carcinoma,
......
.........
.........
.........
"
......
Workers, British Journal of Dermatology and Syphilis, vol. xxxii., 1920.
1
THE LANCET, 1921,
i., 90.