Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-08-23 | Page 40 | How Coal Dust Saves Lungs from Tuberculosis

! How COAL DUST SAVES LUNGS FROM TUBERCULOSIS , ...If Ttli IN spite of the unhealthful conditions under which they often work coal miners are less subject to tuberculosis of the lungs than men engaged In many olhei occupat ons which are commonly thought more healthful The reason for this is now thought to 1 e in the fact that the coal dust which the miner takes Into his system w th the air he breathes and the food he eats e ther kills the germs of tuberculos s or protects the ; delicate ltn ng of the lungs aga nst the r a , I tack i 1 In both England and America there is a I ! surprisingly small amount of tuberculos s of j the lungs among coal miners And just the 1 reverse is true among workers in t n copper ! I and other mines where there is no coal dust J The atmosphere in coal mines s so hea lv i charged with coal dust that before a man ! has worked there many months his lungs and 1 bronchial tubes become as black as coal At I first thought one would suppose that th s heavy coating of mmute particles of coal 1 would have an exceedingly irritating effect ! on the vital organs but sucn is apparently J not the case i Autopsies performed on the bod es of men ! who have worked for many years in the J mines show their langs to be n unusualb good cond t on Shortness of breath cough expectoration and other symptoms which w ould follow long continued irr tat on of the lungs are notable for the r rarity among coal m ners All tl s and other ev dence supports he theory that coal dust is not an rritant of the, lungs and in some wajs may have a benefic al effect on them It has long been held by n any author ties that coal dust Is capable of k 11 ng certa n germs Mine s geons report that wounds full 0 coal dust heal more rapidlv than others and that even badly lacerated wounds susta ned in coal mines maj be sewed up w thout hes tatlon Veterinary surgeons have had s milar experiences n the treatment of pon es used m the mines There are two theor es regarding the effect of coal dust on the lungs One is that t possesses certain antiseptic p operties wlich actually kill the tubercle Dacuu. " other s that ts gobd effects are due w st mulating effect produced by the " calc um salts wnlch it contains in large fl trt es on the lung tissues flt Expernents on gu nea pigs P theorj that for some reason or oU r dust does prevent tuberculosis oratiea" sens the liabilit to the disease G inea pigs wh ch had been kept lor months in an atmosphere of coal oub Injected with a pure culture of S cllli but they failed to contract the o When an mals which had not bee n MWJJ to the coal dust were given similar inje thev promptly developed tuberculosis Although coal dust undoubtedly does the danger of consumption for breathe it al nost continually it unmixed blessing Branch t s ana com, , 6f the lungs are very common Jul mners and their prevalence is douoiie to the blocking of the luDg passage. ! particles of coal .. u,. aos! bcientists differ as to just how a" found in a coal miners lungs nm w rf there While most of it Is Pr0J3'y1 with the air he breathes a good dea 1 y ably taken Into his system vun I eats and the water he drinks