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THE HOME OFFICE ARBITRATION ON LEAD POISONING.
THE HOME OFFICE ARBITRATION ON LEAD POISONING.
1056 that
population
of so doing. Arbitration is a very costly matter, and it is stated that the expenses of the solicitor for the workers will amount to about £250. It is true that Mr. W. S. Robson, K.C., has offered his services gratuitously if he is able to leave London at the time ; but in the event of his absence a has fallen into error, for only in recent years has vac- ’ junior must be employed who must be a chemical expert. cination default been as large as stated, and continued All this means money, which the manufacturers can default of this sort over a prolonged period would be required easily afford, but which the workers do not possess. to justify Mr. WALLAS’S assumption. To apply the figures The trade unions concerned are only able to give £85, take an interest in of the last few years to the population at all ages is a and some philanthropic persons who labour and public health questions have subscribed further proceeding which Mr. SHAW would no doubt deplore. sums through the agency of the Women’s Trades Union Sir CHARLES ELLIOTT was on safer ground. Referring to League, an organisation which has largely helped to children only, and not to the population at all ages, he awaken the attention of the House of Commons and of the estimated the vaccinated proportion to be 70 per cent., and public generally to the numerous cases of lead poisoning he allotted 348 cases of small-pox to the vaccinated and in the Potteries ; but more help is wanted and we would 899 cases to the unvaccinated, and further, dealing with point out that this is a question in which the public at large arc interested as well as the workers engaged in this industry. deaths found that of 176 only two occurred " among The unscientific use of lead in the composition of glaze for properly vaccinated children and the remaining 174 among enamelled saucepans and dishes used in cooking and in the others." He does not appear to have stated the ages of the storing of food has produced several accidents. The fat and children to whom he was referring, but we may state acidity of food dissolve some of the lead in the glaze and generally that his figures will cause no surprise to those who thus there occur cases of plumbism in households that have no connexion with trades in which lead is employed. Thereare familiar with small-pox statistics. fore it is that the and arbitrator should have necessary umpire We note, however, that Mr. WALLAS is not satisfied ; the case put fairly before them, and the attainment of the end nor, indeed, do we believe that if expert statisticians, in view must not be prevented by the fact that one side is satisfactory to Mr. SHAW, were to present to those who better able to afford the expense of arbitration than is the oppose vaccination the assurance of their satisfaction with other side. the statistical evidence of its value that they would accept
the general were thought that this proportion was likely to be correct from the report as to the number of children who had escaped vaccination. It is here that lie
only 75
per vaccinated and he
the
assurance as
cent.
deserving
of
fulfil HA WTHORKE’:,; dictum. numbers of
They would There are, however, large no profession of knowledge
of their confidence.
people who make of the subject ; they follow, as indeed the greater number of us must follow in regard to much that concerns us in life, the teaching of others in whom they have It is here we would appeal to those confidence. who, as public men, can largely influence the action of thisnumerous class of the population. We ask in before vaccination the them, decrying public press or placing difficulties in the way of those whose duty it is to secure the protection of the public against small-pox, to be at pains to learn something of the subject with which they arc dealing.
Annotations. " Ne quid nimis."
THE
HOME OFFICE ARBITRATION POISONING.
ON
LEAD
IN accordance with the Factory Acts of 1891 and 1895 an arbitration is about to be held in regard to the desirability of imposing new rules in the china and earthenFor many years now the danger ware manufactories. of lead poisoning in this industry has been denounced and has been the subject of many investigations and
reports. The manufacturers, however, object to the new rules and have appointed Mr. Fletcher Moulton. K.C., to represent them and to defend their interests before the arbitrators appointed by the Home Office. It is, of course, only fair that the employers should be able to state their views and to defend their interests, but it would not be fair if the other side of the question were not represented with equal ability and thoroughness. Here, however, a practical difficulty arises. The workpeople have equal their but to state case, right they have not equal means
"THE CREATOR OF THE
CELLULAR
PATHOLOGY." UNDER this heading Professor Hugo Ribbert of Marburg gives in the opening article of the Deutsche Medicinische Wochenschrift of Oct. lotli a summary of the development of the cellular pathology and of its position at the present day. The article is one of a series evoked by the occasion of Yirchow’s eightieth birthday which has been so enthusiastically celebrated in Germany. The study of the localisation of disease first took practical shape with Morgagni, whose greatwork, " De Sedibus et Causis Morborum,"was published in 1761. It is owing to Virchow that the seats of disease are no longer localised in organs, as was done by Morgagni, but that the inquiry has been carried from organs to tissues and from tissues to cells. He originally held the view advanced by Schwann, that every cell was a new formation produced from an albuminous solution by a kind of crystallisation process ; his opinions, however, gradually altered and in 1855 he taught that cells were formed only from preexisting cells (ornnis cellula e cellula), a doctrine which was the leading feature of his classical treatise "Die Zellularpathologie,"published in 1858. Virchow’s discovery of the cells of the connective tissue formed the basis of his studies on parenchymatous inflammation in which the cells were first shown by him to be the seat of the disease. All subsequent investigations have been founded on these results, to-day no less than at the time of their first announcement, although in the course of time opinions The may have undergone a change in some particulars. of the of cellular in the importance knowledge changes explanation of morbid phenomena was only arrived at by degrees, and there are morbid conditions, such as nervous diseases, hysteria, and neurasthenia, to which even at the present time the doctrines of cellular pathology seem to be inapplicable. This, however, cannot be regarded as a failure of the theory, for it may be confidently expected that these symptoms will ultimately be traced to anomalies of the nerve cells, the pathological histology of which is only in the initial stage. If it is said that pyrexia cannot be exto the principles of cellular pathology it plained according
1056 that
population
of so doing. Arbitration is a very costly matter, and it is stated that the expenses of the solicitor for the workers will amount to about £250. It is true that Mr. W. S. Robson, K.C., has offered his services gratuitously if he is able to leave London at the time ; but in the event of his absence a has fallen into error, for only in recent years has vac- ’ junior must be employed who must be a chemical expert. cination default been as large as stated, and continued All this means money, which the manufacturers can default of this sort over a prolonged period would be required easily afford, but which the workers do not possess. to justify Mr. WALLAS’S assumption. To apply the figures The trade unions concerned are only able to give £85, take an interest in of the last few years to the population at all ages is a and some philanthropic persons who labour and public health questions have subscribed further proceeding which Mr. SHAW would no doubt deplore. sums through the agency of the Women’s Trades Union Sir CHARLES ELLIOTT was on safer ground. Referring to League, an organisation which has largely helped to children only, and not to the population at all ages, he awaken the attention of the House of Commons and of the estimated the vaccinated proportion to be 70 per cent., and public generally to the numerous cases of lead poisoning he allotted 348 cases of small-pox to the vaccinated and in the Potteries ; but more help is wanted and we would 899 cases to the unvaccinated, and further, dealing with point out that this is a question in which the public at large arc interested as well as the workers engaged in this industry. deaths found that of 176 only two occurred " among The unscientific use of lead in the composition of glaze for properly vaccinated children and the remaining 174 among enamelled saucepans and dishes used in cooking and in the others." He does not appear to have stated the ages of the storing of food has produced several accidents. The fat and children to whom he was referring, but we may state acidity of food dissolve some of the lead in the glaze and generally that his figures will cause no surprise to those who thus there occur cases of plumbism in households that have no connexion with trades in which lead is employed. Thereare familiar with small-pox statistics. fore it is that the and arbitrator should have necessary umpire We note, however, that Mr. WALLAS is not satisfied ; the case put fairly before them, and the attainment of the end nor, indeed, do we believe that if expert statisticians, in view must not be prevented by the fact that one side is satisfactory to Mr. SHAW, were to present to those who better able to afford the expense of arbitration than is the oppose vaccination the assurance of their satisfaction with other side. the statistical evidence of its value that they would accept
the general were thought that this proportion was likely to be correct from the report as to the number of children who had escaped vaccination. It is here that lie
only 75
per vaccinated and he
the
assurance as
cent.
deserving
of
fulfil HA WTHORKE’:,; dictum. numbers of
They would There are, however, large no profession of knowledge
of their confidence.
people who make of the subject ; they follow, as indeed the greater number of us must follow in regard to much that concerns us in life, the teaching of others in whom they have It is here we would appeal to those confidence. who, as public men, can largely influence the action of thisnumerous class of the population. We ask in before vaccination the them, decrying public press or placing difficulties in the way of those whose duty it is to secure the protection of the public against small-pox, to be at pains to learn something of the subject with which they arc dealing.
Annotations. " Ne quid nimis."
THE
HOME OFFICE ARBITRATION POISONING.
ON
LEAD
IN accordance with the Factory Acts of 1891 and 1895 an arbitration is about to be held in regard to the desirability of imposing new rules in the china and earthenFor many years now the danger ware manufactories. of lead poisoning in this industry has been denounced and has been the subject of many investigations and
reports. The manufacturers, however, object to the new rules and have appointed Mr. Fletcher Moulton. K.C., to represent them and to defend their interests before the arbitrators appointed by the Home Office. It is, of course, only fair that the employers should be able to state their views and to defend their interests, but it would not be fair if the other side of the question were not represented with equal ability and thoroughness. Here, however, a practical difficulty arises. The workpeople have equal their but to state case, right they have not equal means
"THE CREATOR OF THE
CELLULAR
PATHOLOGY." UNDER this heading Professor Hugo Ribbert of Marburg gives in the opening article of the Deutsche Medicinische Wochenschrift of Oct. lotli a summary of the development of the cellular pathology and of its position at the present day. The article is one of a series evoked by the occasion of Yirchow’s eightieth birthday which has been so enthusiastically celebrated in Germany. The study of the localisation of disease first took practical shape with Morgagni, whose greatwork, " De Sedibus et Causis Morborum,"was published in 1761. It is owing to Virchow that the seats of disease are no longer localised in organs, as was done by Morgagni, but that the inquiry has been carried from organs to tissues and from tissues to cells. He originally held the view advanced by Schwann, that every cell was a new formation produced from an albuminous solution by a kind of crystallisation process ; his opinions, however, gradually altered and in 1855 he taught that cells were formed only from preexisting cells (ornnis cellula e cellula), a doctrine which was the leading feature of his classical treatise "Die Zellularpathologie,"published in 1858. Virchow’s discovery of the cells of the connective tissue formed the basis of his studies on parenchymatous inflammation in which the cells were first shown by him to be the seat of the disease. All subsequent investigations have been founded on these results, to-day no less than at the time of their first announcement, although in the course of time opinions The may have undergone a change in some particulars. of the of cellular in the importance knowledge changes explanation of morbid phenomena was only arrived at by degrees, and there are morbid conditions, such as nervous diseases, hysteria, and neurasthenia, to which even at the present time the doctrines of cellular pathology seem to be inapplicable. This, however, cannot be regarded as a failure of the theory, for it may be confidently expected that these symptoms will ultimately be traced to anomalies of the nerve cells, the pathological histology of which is only in the initial stage. If it is said that pyrexia cannot be exto the principles of cellular pathology it plained according