Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
York State because we didn't have any coal mines and no coal mining in the state. It's one of the few industries that we have nothing of in New York.
Therefore a large part of the section on occupational diseases, which had been lifted absolutely as it was from the English law, was ineffective and of no consequence in coping with occupational diseases in the State of New York. Of course, lead poisoning was covered and that was very useful because lead poisoning is a very common occupational disease and was more common before we began in the Industrial Board to take preventive measures to prevent lead poisoning. Lead poisoning was current among people who worked in places where they made batteries, people who worked on all kinds of plumbing fixtures and materials, as well as among plumbers and people who handled lead. It was also very common among people in certain types of making of printing dyes, presses and so on. So it was a common disease. I learned to be expert in the recognition of lead poisoning. There are certain changes that take place that you can see. The characteristic thing is the slight blue line on the upper gum. It's definite that you've got lead poisoning if you've got that. Not all lead poisoning begins with painter's colic, as they call it, which is the terrific stomachache which has been for generations associated with the painter's trade.
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help