The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Sas pa A, ae SIP RR Look yea eke Cold Weather Was Found to be the Major Cause of any Ail- ments Which May Arise from the Use of Pneumatic Tools By Francis M. Barnes Jr., M. D. 4 I MHE introduction of mechanical tools into the trades has ever been accompanied by numerous actual and claimed damages to their operators and also a more or less direct cause of the occurrence of new and particular diseases or the factor pre- disposing to the incitement of ordi- nary diseases in greater prevalence. Among such mechanical tools the pneumatic hammer, in comparatively recent years, has come to occupy a most important position in several lines, notably in shipbuilding and in the steel and stone industries. Within the past two years com- plaints of ill effects from the use of the hammer have become prevalent although these do not seem to have originated so much with the indi- vidual user of the hammer as_ with labor organizations of which he is a member. It has been claimed that the use of the hammer produced in the men a diseased condition affecting the nervous system and leading even to paralysis, insanity or other form of complete incapacitation. Decide to Investigate In view of the fact that in current medical literature no mention of such “diseased condition from this causation could be found it became necessary to carry out an investigation to de- termine, if possible, whether such disease actually did eixst, its extent and seriousness, and, if necessary, to study measures whereby its occur- rence could be minimized or entirely done away with. Such a study is obviously of importance, not only to the workman, but to the operator whose interests are more broadly in- volved. Recent investigations have been car- ried out in parts of the country where the pneumatic hammer is used in shipbuilding and in the steel industry. From reports of such investigations as are available it was not found, in any instance, that the use of the pneumatic hammer produced any de- leterious effect upon the general health of the workers. So far as this study is concerned the men using pneumatic hammers on limestone were found to be in good general health and none of the group Abstracted from a paper presented at the seventh annual safety congress of the National Safety Council. examined showing any constitutional - disease;. their troubles (supposedly arising from use of the hammer) being limited to a disturbance of the function of the left hand—commonly known as “white fingers” or “dead fingers.” As a general thing this con- dition occurs shortly after the men first go to work in the morning, ot until they have “warmed up,” al- though it also occurs during cold Investigate New Field NEUMATIC tools occasionally are held responsible for various ailments of a somewhat indefinite nature. Thoroughly to imvestigate this question, the author of ths paper made an exhaustive study of the effect of the use of pneumatic tools on the nervous system and he draws some interesting conclusions. His investigations failed to show any trace of Raynaud’s disease, acroparesthesia, neuritis or occupa- tional neurosis, It was disclosed that the use of pneumatic tools in cold weather may cause “white” or “dead” fin- gers, and to overcome this condi- tion the author recommends that some method be devised to warm the cutting tool in cold weather and to enlarge the shank so that the worker can grip it without causing finger cramp. He also urges that the practice of blocking the exhaust outlet and thereby forcing. a current of cold air over the fingers of the left hand be dis- continued. weather when the hands are exposed otherwise than in working. First the little finger and ulnar side of the left hand (in right-handed men) become pale and blanched; the same area soon giving rise to tingling or numbing sensations, sometimes even to slight pain. The ring finger and part of the middle finger may also be involved in this process. By swinging the arms or rubbing the hands the condition may be made to disappear and when the hands are warmed the pallor rapidly gives place to diffuse flushing and reddening. The index finger and thumb of the 188 ° right hand are occasionally affected, particularly in those workers who improperly control the exhaust by their finger or thumb. So far as could be determined this condition of the hands constitutes the sole trouble from which the stone workers complain in so far as the pneumatic hammer is concerned. In all of the workers examined the hands were somewhat reddened and flushed, but not more than reasonably might be expected in the hands of outdoor workers. The hands were calloused to a varying degree in different sub- jects, but in all quite extensively. The. palm and certain of the fingers of the left hand were more calloused than on the right. There was no actual cyanosis, excepting in one subject, where this was slight. No swelling, no tenderness, no pain, no edema and no involvement of the muscles or joints. Paresthesia was absent ex- cepting in one subject, who reported some numbness in his white fingers.” This was the only subject to show the condition well developed. Sensation for all tests was acute and practically normal. In most subjects there was a lowering of acuteness of feeling— some blunting or dulling—but this certainly was no greater than could be expected in hands where so much callous was present. In all but one subject the callous was sufficient ex- planation for any variation from the normal which could be observed in sensation. In this one subject the sensory disorder passed off in a few minutes or as soon as the hands be-- came warm. Mental disease was not present in any subject examined, nor was there any physical disease which could in any way be attributed to the occupation. Cold is Responsible Such disorders of the extremities indicate quite clearly that a disturb- ance, of the peripheral circulation of the blood is responsible for their occurence. The caliber of the peripheral blood vessels, and _ there- fore the amount of blood supplied to the part, is dependent in large meas- ure upon the action of the nerves which supply these blood vessels, known as vaso-motor nerves. Low temperatures stimulate the sensory nerve fibers in the skin and the nerve