The History of Miners' Diseases: A Medical and Social Interpretation

The publication of a history of the development of industrial medicine in such an essential industry as mining is appropriate at this time, when the practice of this branch of medicine has become such a vital part of national defense measures. By correlating the development of miners' diseases through the ages with the advances in the basic medical sciences and with the varying social and economic conditions that have contributed to the rise of occupational diseases in the industry, Dr. Rosen has provided an essential and interesting background for the medical discussion. Although, according to the author, ancient medical writers do not mention the health hazards connected with the occupation of mining, glimpses given by other writers of the social and economic conditions under which the miners lived and worked indicate that these hazards were appalling. These conditions, combined with the physical deprivations and tortures to which the ancient miners