Minutes of evidence of the departmental committee appointed to inquire and report whether the following diseases can properly by added to those enumerated in the third schedule of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906 : namely: (1) cowpox, (2) Dupuytren's Contraction, (3) Clonic spasm of the eyelids, apart from nystagmus, (4) writers' cramp.

Great Britain. Departmental Committee on Compensation for Industrial Diseases

Date:: 1913

Credit: Minutes of evidence of the departmental committee appointed to inquire and report whether the following diseases can properly by added to those enumerated in the third schedule of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906 : namely: (1) cowpox, (2) Dupuytren's Contraction, (3) Clonic spasm of the eyelids, apart from nystagmus, (4) writers' cramp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Cover
Cover

56/180 page 52

14 December 1912.] (Dr. Collis.) As I found, the figures of the report are largely watered down by the Long Eaton and Beeston cases I saw. Ifthe percentage had been given for the town of Nottingham it would have been trebled. (Witness.) It rather confirms what I say. 1580. (Chairman.) We had a reason given to us for that 2—I visited six factories, and I had the oppor- tunity of inspecting the various machines. ) 1581. Was that in Nottingham and Long Eaton ?— Yes ; and I examined the operatives in charge of them. I may say that, with regard to these six factories, I went to three factories which were suggested to me by Mr. Eatock and three which were chosen for me by Mr. Wardle. 1582. Three representing the inspector and three representing the men?—Yes, that is so. I saw seven cases of Dupuytren’s contraction in these six factories, in two of which there was a history of gout. I would like to summarise the impressions that I obtained. 1583. Will you tell us what the impressions were that you drew ?—The work of lace-machine minder did not appear to me to specially predispose a worker to Dupuytren’s contraction any more than such employ- ments as those of railway signalmen, tramway drivers, dust tile makers, or engineers’ fitters. The work does not entail constant usage of the wheels or the levers as in the case of some of the employments which I have just mentioned. ; 1584. Did you notice at all the way in which the men pulled these levers —Yes, I did; I pulled them myself. 1585. Did you notice the way in which the men usually pulled them. Assuming this is the lever (a ‘ pencil), did they put their hand round or over them ?— Some of them put the hand on the top (with the top of the pencil right in the palm of the hand) and pulled it over, and some of them pulled it this way (with the hand round the pencil). 1586. You did not notice which was the most frequent >My attention was directed to that point, and some of the managers or proprietors of these mills said there was no reason for the men to put their hand on the top. 1587. The Committee themselves have visited these factories —Yes, so I understand. The levers, I noticed, were rather short. 1588. Did you have an opportunity of noticing the men at the time when they were not aware of your looking ?—Yes, I went to two very large factories where the men could not all be watching me at once, and the machinery was running at full tilt. 1589. And you found the men were pulling the levers in these two different ways ?—That is so. 1590. In your opinion, taking the two ways—first, the pulling in this way by putting the hand all round, and secondly, pulling it with the hand over it—would the second manner of pulling have a greater effect on the palmar fascia in the way of injuring it ?—If I assume that irritation is the cause of Dupuyten’s contraction, [ should say pulling it over like this would cause localised pressure at a certain point (the witness held the pencil with the top in the palm of the hand). 1591. And that point would probably be the palmar fascia >—That point would probably be the palmar fascia—somewhere about the point where one finds it most commonly to commence. 1592. Before we pass from that, you have not considered the question of railway signalmen who pull signals, have you ?—Yes, I have. 1593. Do you deal with that later on ?—Yes. 1594, Perhaps you will go on?—No. 2 is, the pressure of the lever does not affect the ring finger and the corresponding part of the palmar fascia to the same extent as it does the little, middle and fore- fingers. That is when pulied with the hand com- pletely upon the lever. 1595, But if pulled in the other way ?—If pulled in this way (with the hand round the pencil), the greatest amount of pressure is on a point probably midway between the little and the ring finger. [ Continued. 1596. Did you notice in some cases they pulled with the hand turned, with the little finger up ?—No, I cannot say I did. The third point I wish to bring to your notice is, that the skin over the palm of the hand was invariably smooth, indicating that whatever pressure was exerted it did not cause irritation of the skin. As far as I could tell, the moving of the lever or wheel was not a great physical effort to a trained workman, but was due more to knack than to anything else. 1597. Comparing those with the other employments which you think are similar—the kind of employment such as that of railway signalmen, tramway driyers, dust tile makers, and engineers’ fitters—what have you to say with regard to railway signalmen for instance ?— With regard to railway signalmen, I have made inquiries at the Crewe works, Stoke-on-Trent and Derby as to railway workers ; and Dr. John Lawrance, the medical officer to the London and North Western Railway at Crewe, tells me that although he meets with many cases of Dupuytren’s contraction among those em- ployed in various capacities on the railway, he has not noticed that it is specially prevalent among signalmen. I have the original letter from him. Dr. Wheelton Hind, the medical officer to the North Staffordshire Railway at Stoke-on-Trent, tells me he has never seen a case of Dupuytren's contraction in any railway worker in his life, and Mr. R. H. Luce, the senior surgeon to the Royal Derbyshire Infirmary, Derby, has never had a case of this disease in a signalman. 1598. But you suggest the action of pulling over the levers by signalmen is very akin to the action of pulling over these levers in the lace trade ?—That’ is so. . u 1599. I am only asking now for my information. I thought I had seen myself in these signal boxes they have pads, or something round their hands to pull the’ signals round ?—Perhaps so. : 1600. If they do that, that might account for it. The man probably does not put his hand over the top of the lever. 1601. (Dr. Collis.) He puts his body weight on ?— It is irritation on the hand I am referring to; it is a local irritation. 1602. (Chairman.) I think in some cases he gets a cloth or pad ?—I think it is so. 1603. If that is done, that would rather destroy the supposed analogy?—I am not so certain, for this reason; that the pad has a rough surface, and the metal of these levers is perfectly smooth, and I think that might have some bearing on the point. Then with regard to tramway drivers, Mr. William Thom, the General Manager of the Potteries Electric Traction Company at Stoke-on-Trent, has obtained information for me from the British Electrical Federation, Limited, which is a company which owns the tramway systems in 32 different parts of the country. : 1604. Does it own the Potteries Electric Traction Company, amongst others ?—That is one of them, I have a list here of the places throughout the whole of Hartlepool, Greenock, Merthyr Tydvil, some parts of London and Birmingham, Oldham, the Potteries, and Swansea. Mr. Williams, the Insurance Officer for this Federation, writes to say that he has caused the records of his claims during the last four and a half years to’ be searched, and can find no ‘single instance of any claim that has been complicated by Dupuytren’s: contraction. 1605. What claims does he mean there ?—He means all the accident claims. 1606. Do you mean claims made by the public, or claims made by the employees ?—Claims made by the motor men, I might say that they have a mutual insurance scheme for the whole of these different undertakings and all the insurance work for accidents that occur to their own workmen are dealt with by one central committee. 1607. Whether under the Act or not ?—This is in connection with the Workmen's Compensation Act. 1608. This case is not under the Workmen’s Com- pensation Act at present, and therefore there would be no claim ?—I do not think I have made myself:

Licence and re-use

Contents