Asbestos, So That the Statement That
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Br J Ind Med: first published as 10.1136/oem.48.6.430 on 1 June 1991. Downloaded from 430 Forum 49 Muehleck E. Letter to WWF Sheperd bles paranoia. In the so that the statement (Turner and Newall). 8 March, 1943. fully developed asbestos, that 50 Hardy HL. Personal communications, form of this psychosis the individual the disease was "discovered by the 1982, 1989. adopts a false premise and then uses ancients," while adding historical 51 Brown V. Letter to E Muehleck (Keas- every device of selection and bias to colour and apparent verisimilitude, is bey & Mattison Co) and JFD Rohr- bach (Raybestos-Manhattan). 22 support it. In the case of a person who manifest nonsense. October, 1948. thinks he is Napoleon or she is the This temptation to dramatise and 52 Brown V. Letter to sponsors (Amer Virgin Mary it is easy to recognise the emotionalise is apparent throughout Brake Shoe, Gatke Corp, Keasbey false premise. is the whole book. I have not and Mattison, Raybestos-Manhattan, It less easy with a counted the Thermoid Corp, Union Asbestos and subject which has been ventilated in emotional adjectives but the book is Rubber Co, Russell Manufacturing the media over the last 25 years to such liberally besprinkled with them while Co, United States Gypsum Co). 27 an extent that the average man in the the author flogs himselfinto a lather of October 1948. 53 Brown V. Letter to WT Kelly (Amer street tends to agree with the premise indignation. One early example is a Brake Shoe). 12 November, 1948. or something very like it-that asbes- reference to the "devastating" pul- 54 Lanza AJ. Letter to AJ Vorwald. 14 tos has been an unmitigated disaster monary disease at the beginning ofthe December, 1948. and that it should be banned. century. There was such a but 55 Vorwald AJ, Durkan TM, Pratt PC. disease, Experimental studies of asbestosis. In support of his hypothesis Mr it was called pulmonary tuberculosis Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med 1951;3: Castleman has combed the world and this was such an ever present 1-43. literature in a remarkable way. It is a disease that when Dr Murray dis- 56 Brown V. Letter to sponsoring compan- ies (see ref 54). 21 March, 1951. pity that a book which has been so covered the first case of asbestosis in 57 Vorwald AJ. First interim report/asbes- painstakingly researched should start 1899 he did not publish it, even as a tosis andpulmonary cancer (to Quebec with a false premise and arrive at medical curiosity. He must have dis- Asbestos Mining Assn) Saranac Lake, entirely the wrong conclusions. It is cussed it with his colleagues because NY: Saranac Laboratory, 7 May, 1952. Vorwald archives, Armed For- characteristic of paranoia that the he was invited to give evidence to the ces Institute of Pathology, Washing- arguments are logical and well presen- Department Committee on Compen- ton, DC. ted. It is the conclusion that is wrong, sation for Industrial Diseases in 1906 58 Woodward JP (Johns-Manville). Min- utes of discussions held at Saranac because it is arrived at in advance of to which Mr Castleman makes Lake on 7 November, 1950-14 the evidence and derives from emotion reference. November, 1950. Vorwald archives. rather than scientific balanced At the beginning of the century 59 For export only. Canadian Broadcasting appraisal. there was a deal of Company; broadcast 4 October, 1988. great interest in 60 Kamal AAM, Sayed GM, Hassan MH, The difficulty is that he is not industrial disease. The priorities were Massoud AA. Usage of personal entirely wrong. Asbestos is a dan- lead and mercury poisoning from protective devices among Egyptian gerous material which has killed many which people were obviously dying, industrial workers. Am J Ind Med 1988;13:707-16. people and will continue to do so, and phossy jaw, which destroyed the though less and less as our knowledge beauty of young women. The Reply by Murray increases. Our main problem is that occupational chest diseases were so Sir,-Castleman chooses to criticise the effects of exposure are delayed up obscured by tuberculosis that the http://oem.bmj.com/ my account ofthe chronology ofasbes- to 40 years, during which time our Departmental Committee of 1907 in tos and its effects. I don't mind him expectations are increasing and our the United Kingdom found itselfuna- doing this, for none of us is perfect. diagnostic methods are improving so ble to define these diseases adequately After all, I criticised his book, "Asbes- that we have to run fast to stay in the for compensation purposes even tos: Medical and Legal Aspects." same place. Moreover, medicine has though the existence of potters rot, Contrary to what he says, however, my always had its priorities. Some grinders asthma and ganister disease review was not rejected for publica- subjects take the centre of the stage were well known. It was not until 1918 tion. It was never submitted. I was according to social demands of that the role of silica became manifest asked my opinion ofthe book by one of medical advances. What Mr Cas- and this became the priority in on October 1, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. my colleagues in the London School of tleman does is to turn the spotlight, the research into occupational pulmonary Hygiene and, having an unexpected blinding light of hindsight, on what disease to such an extent as to limit the weekend to spare, I read it and wrote was a very obscure problem and over study of asbestos because it was a what I thought. The book was publi- illuminate it as though it had occupied silicate. This was true until the 1950s shed in 1986 and I wrote what I did in centre stage for the greater part of this when coal workers pneumoconiosis July 1988 so, even if I had wanted to, it century. took over centre stage. Silica and coal was a bit late for a review. At the very beginning he starts to dust are still as fibrogenic as they To put the record straight and to let bend the facts to suit his argument. always were but Mr Castleman awards your readers determine whether it was Pliny did not recommend bladders as a no medals to the medicine and hygiene "churlish" or not, this is what I wrote. protection against asbestos but against professions for having controlled these vermilion which caused acute mercury problems. "Asbestos: Medical and Legal poisoning. It may be that some people Instead he concentrates single min- Aspects. Second Edition BI Cas- in ancient times were affected by dedly on his subject and accurately, for tleman, Law and Business Inc 1986. asbestos, just as our stone age ances- the most part, records the references to Mr Castleman does not like asbestos. tors may have been affected by silica asbestosis in the medical literature. He does not like the people who mine from the manufacture or use of flint What he lacks is a broad view of the it, process it and adapt its products for tools, but there is no evidence for Mr developing subject. He approaches his sale. His dislike has grown into an Castleman's comments about Roman task with the enthusiasm and obsession and his obsession into single slaves. None of the Greek or Roman intolerance ofthe new convert who has issue fanaticism which closely resem- physicians described the effects of discovered the secret of salvation. His Br J Ind Med: first published as 10.1136/oem.48.6.430 on 1 June 1991. Downloaded from Forum 431 enthusiasm betrays him on several of his favourite Dr Selikoff, is that believe, that the duty of a doctor in occasions into telescoping time. For there is a synergistic action so far as industry, as I said in my article, was to example he refers to Sir Thomas bronchogenic carcinoma is concemed, point out the potential dangers. Legge, who had questioned Montague between asbestos and smoking. Yet So, ifhe wants to accuse me, unjus- Murray in 1906, as soon afterwards Mr Castleman does not mention it. He tly, of not recognising that there were lamenting, "looking back in the light does not appear to recognise that there some articles on asbestos and lung of present knowledge it is impossible is no relation between mesothelioma cancer before the war, I accuse him, not to feel that opportunities for dis- and smoking because this too is not justly, of drawing the long bow about covery and prevention were badly mentioned, probably because it might cases in ancient times. Kevin Browne missed". Mr Castleman gives the date dilute his argument. and I have made it clear that there of that quotation as 1934 which is not Perhaps the most ludicrous chapter were no references to asbestos related exactly soon after 1906. Actually Sir is that concerning brake linings. First disease in ancient times.' There has Thomas Legge said it beforehand in of all he confuses the manufacture of been no riposte about this. Let him 1928 which was sooner but not much. brake linings with their repair and produce the evidence. In any case, do This is one ofthe few references which maintenance. Of all the references he you listen to every oracular statement Mr Castleman does not have, but it quotes there is only one which refers about every disease? If ever Alz- illustrates the perils of hindsight. It is specifically to garage mechanics and heimer's disease is associated with very easy to be wise.... even for such even there the effects are speculative.