666 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



and disorders of the stomach. In the gravest cases, the inhaling of the 

 vapors causes a more or less complete destruction of the bones of the 

 jaws, in which they produce necrosis, especially in persons with decayed 

 teeth. Such disorders have, however, become more rare. Besides 

 finding a way to neutralize phosphoric vapors by essence of turpentine 

 placed in a bottle, to be hung from the workman's neck, the vapors 

 themselves have been suppressed by the adoption of processes in 

 which all the dangerous parts of the operations are performed by ma- 

 chinery. 



The General Match Conqoany of France, which enjoys the monop- 

 oly of the manufacture in that country, has gradually introduced 

 machinery, within the last ten years, by which the mixture of the 

 phosphorus paste, the dipping of the matches, and the packing, are all 

 done without exposing any one to the inhalation of the vapors. 



Sulphide of carbon, which possesses the property of softening and 

 inflating India-rubber, is much used in the manufacture of India- 

 rubber foot-balls and balloons of various kinds. It occasions pains in 

 the head and limbs ; loss of appetite ; paralysis of the sight, the hear- 

 ing, and the limbs ; cachexy, and death. It should not be handled 

 except in closed vessels. M. Deschamps, of Belleville, invented a glass 

 box, having two openings, for the passage of the hands and arms, to 

 which were attached India-rubber sleeves, to be fastened at the wrist, 

 and enable the hand to work within the apparatus without giving any 

 outlet for the vapors ; but the workmen laughed at the apparatus, 

 called it a magic-lantern, and would not use it. There remains, then, 

 no other resource than an active ventilation to carry off the poisonous 

 vapors ; and for that reason work in sulphide of carbon should be 

 carried on only in large establishments, well ventilated, and should be 

 excluded from small rooms. 



Passing by the manufacture of chemicals, which is a special indus- 

 try, involving many peculiar causes of insalubrity, and which deserves 

 a full treatment by itself, we come to dusts that are simply irritating. 

 They may be divided into two groups : those which are not soluble in 

 the liquids of the body, and consequently accumulate in the lungs, and 

 obstruct them ; and those which, being soluble, have only a transient 

 effect, and do not produce irremediable disorders. The first group 

 includes the coal and the siliceous dusts ; the second group all the 

 others. 



The accumulation of coal-dusts in the pulmonary vesicles pro- 

 duces, in coal-miners, workers in charcoal, and copper-founders, a 

 malady designated by the name of anthracosis, which frequently ends 

 in death. The lungs of victims of this disorder resemble a piece of 

 sliced coal. In the personal hygiene against these elements, we men- 

 tion the use of wadded masks, which has been followed by excellent 

 effects in the mines of Belgium, where it has been possible to get 

 them adopted. In general hygiene, Dr. Manouvriez (of Valenciennes), 



