ABUSE OF THE SCAPHANDER IN THE SPONGE FISHERIES. 521 
the sponge fishermen working in diving apparatus. Paul Bert, Guérard, Febvre, 
Feltz, Bouchard, Petit, Couty, Chabaud, Vivenot, Schultze, Saeger, Leyden, 
Pierre Marie, Rameaux, Bucquoy, Hermann von Schrétter, Kononoff, and 
others have written on the general subject, and Paul Bert, Leroy do Méricourt, 
Gal, Lampadarios, Kotsonopoulos, Parissis, Tetsis, Charpentier, Katsards, 
Savvas, Livadas, and the Greek naval officer Melds have treated it with 
especial reference to the divers. It will be to the purpose to cite some of these 
writings. 
Michael Katsaras, professor of nervous diseases at the University of Athens, 
published in 1890 the already mentioned work on diseases of divers,* which were 
not sufficiently considered by the governments of the interested countries. 
Katsards observed and described 62 cases of diseases of divers, and made 
experiments with the diving apparatus on dogs. I refer to his book all those 
who desire better acquaintance with the subject. The celebrated scientist lives 
in Syme, one of the principal seats of abuse of the diving apparatus, and is, con- 
sequently, well acquainted with this evil. 
Katsaras limits himself to purely scientific demonstrations without uttering 
any cryofhorror. After having described all the forms of the diseases, he indicates 
the means of curing the slighter ones. These treatments, however, demand so 
much time that only persons in prosperous circumstances can take them, and 
not divers weighted down by debts. Katsards gives the following advice as 
to what the diver must do to avoid disease: 
(1) Regulate the duration of the sojourn under water according to the depth, 
as one hour at depths of 10 to 15 fathoms, one-quarter of an hour for depths of 15 to 20 
fathoms, ten minutes in depths of 20 to 25 fathoms, five minutes in depths of 25 to 28 
fathoms, 3 minutes in depths of 28 to 30 fathoms, and one minute in depths of 30 to 
32 fathoms. 
(2) Rise very slowly, stopping for one minute after each 2 fathoms. 
(3) Avoid consecutive diving by the same person. 
(4) Do not dive too deep. 
(5) Do not dive while afflicted with a cold. 
(6) Have the intestines empty before diving, and eat only in the evening after the 
completion of the work. 
(7) Avoid fatigue. 
What would become of pecuniary profit, which is the most important 
consideration in each trade, if the seven prescriptions of Katsards were followed? 
Of these the most important is the fourth, and this according to his own words 
it is not possible to follow. Katsards himself says: 
Of these the fourth precaution can not be considered; to forbid the divers to descend 
too deep would be to forbid them their trade, for a sufficient quantity of sponges can 
not be found at small depths. 
@ “Recherches cliniques et expérimentales sur les accidents survenant par l’emploi des scaphandres,” 
Paris, 1890. 
