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Miners’ Phthisis in the Transvaal.

THE LANCET.

LONDON: SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1904.

IN the pages of a morning contemporary Mr. HALDANE,M.P., has recently remarked that there are certain importantproblems which the Government of the Transvaal must

make an effort to solve, and that while in regard to

some of these there may be considerable difference of

opinion, one question alone is urgent and that is miners’

phthisis or silicosis. It was in the pages of THE LANCET 1

that the subject of miners’ phthisis among the gold minersof the Transvaal was in this country, if not in others,first considered from the medical standpoint in an articleby Dr. THOMAS OLIVER of Newcastle-on-Tyne. Since

the publication of that article several important stepshave been taken. Of these one calling for notice is

the appointment of the Commission by Lord MILNER

more than 18 months ago to inquire into the causes of

the malady and to report as to how the disease might be

prevented. It is common knowledge that at the close of, and

during, the South African war many miners who had workedin the Transvaal returned to this country, a few of themto die in Northumberland and a larger number to succumbto their malady in Cornwall, as Dr. JOHN HALDANE indi-cated. There is still an excessive mortality from phthisisamong the white and coloured miners in the Witwatersrand

district. The loss of life is deplorable considering whatcould be done to prevent it. The Commission appointed byLord MILNER did its work admirably but it is necessarythat its recommendations should be followed up in all their

details. Mr. HALDANE, quoting from figures presented lastsummer to the House of Commons, points to the highdeath-rate that exists in South African mining districts.

The death-rate among the white rock-drill miners of

the average age of 35 years is over 70 per 1000. When

we compare this with the mortality of 6’ 3 per 1000

of English coal miners, 6 of ironstone miners, and

8. 1 of English tin miners the question naturally suggestsitself: Can nothing be done, and at once, to reduce

the enormous waste of human life that is taking place inthe Transvaal ? According to the returns made by Mr.TREVELYAN it would appear as if the mortality among thenative rock-drill miners was less than among the white-

viz., 42’ 03 per 1000 as against 70, but the average age ofthe men is not given. The natives do not work continuouslyand many of them leave the immediate district and return

to their kraals where they die. For these reasons the

statistics of the two classes of miners are not comparable.Men who are on the spot and who have studied the

question say that the mortality among the native rock-

drill miners is excessively high. No astonishment need be

expressed at this since it is the "boys" who are largelyemployed in the dusty processes in the mines.

1 THE LANCET, June 14th, 1902, p. 1677.

Can anything be done to remedy a condition of things thatis calling for immediate attention ? The Transvaal Medical

Society has recommended that " dry mining should, as faras possible, be converted into wet mining" and the Com-missioners have also suggested that jets and sprays of water

would, in combination with good ventilation, prove an

efficient preventive against dust. Unfortunately, the water-

supply of Johannesburg is often rather short but this is notan insurmountable difficulty. One danger may follow in thewake of the introduction of water into mines unless the

greatest care is taken and that is ankylostomiasis, as recent

experience in Westphalia has shown. Miners’ phthisis inSouth Africa and its prevention can only be adequatelydealt with by the Government calling to its aid skilled

medical and mining advice of which there must be plentyin the Transvaal. There are men on the spot who are surelycapable of dealing with the problems.

Opinions are divided in this country as to the cause of theshortage of native labour on the Rand. It has been stated,for example, that mine-owners have not exercised sufficientcare to prevent ill-treatment and sickness. Mr. STANFORD,assistant chief magistrate at Umtata, says that while certainmisrepresentations have been made as regards wrongfuldeductions from the wages of the native miners there is

not the least doubt that the wages paid at present are lessthan they were before the war. The natives are not obligedto work ; their wants are few and they have plenty of food;as they are therefore not satisfied with the wages offered

they prefer to remain at home rather than to run the risksattendant upon working in the mines. The subject deservesmore than passing attention, especially at the present time,when there is the prospect of the introduction of Chinese

labour into the Rand. South African natives can leave the

mines at any time if they are discontented but the men im-

ported from China must fulfil the three years’ engagement.If it is true, as Dr. FRAZER stated to the Commission, that

every miner who has worked a year or two on rock drills is

affected in his lungs it is surely desirable that the utmostshould be done to reduce to a minimum, to annihilate if

possible, those harmful influences in the mines, such as

dust and imperfect ventilation, to the operation of which

can be traced directly or indirectly the fibrotic changesin the lungs of miners exposed to them and the sequelof which is too frequently phthisis.

The Sociological Society.IT would be difficult to withhold some degree off sympathy

from the endeavour now being made by certain philosophersand amateurs to establish a " Sociological Society," althoughwhen we consider the fate of the National Association for

the Promotion of Social Science, which was founded in

1857 and which, after a short independent existence and aperiod of combination with the Society for Promoting theAmendment of the Law, may be said to have fallen to

pieces from the incoherence of the elements of which it wascompounded, it is difficult to feel any assured conviction

either of the usefulness or of the longevity of the new institu-tion. Social reformers may, as a rule, be roughly divided intotwo classes-those who are far in advance of the time in which