PLASTIC ANAEMIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1934, Page 4

PLASTIC ANAEMIA

MYSTERIOUS DISEASE. The mysterious death —from a comparatively new disease, with an unknown cause—of another worker, at the factory of British Celanese, Ltd., Spomlon, Derby, was the subject of an inquest at Nottingham, says the “Daily Mail.” It. was stated that the features of the case were quite different from those disclosed recently at an inquest on three other employees. It was then shown that the deaths were consistent, with chemical poisoning, and that, the men worked over a tank which gave off fumes. Verdicts of accidental death were returned.

An open verdict was returned in the newest case, the dead man being John Thomas Naylor, aged 23, of Eastwood, who worked in w’hat is known as the “hush-hush” department.

The jury added a rider that they were not convinced that Naylor’s employment did not have a prejudicial effect on his health.

Owing to a misunderstanding, the company was not represented at the inquest. The Home Office was represented by Dr S. A. ( Henry, and at the close of the proceedings he took possession of the results of a postmortem examination made by Dr S. C. Mattock, of Nottingham General Hospital. Dr Henry intimated that the Home Office intended to make its own inquiries.

The Nottingham Deputy Coroner (Mr W. S. Rothera) said that Naylor was employed at the Celanese works for a short while before November 22, when he was tatken ill. On January 6, he was admitted to hospital, and on February 9 he died.

Mrs Naylor, the mother, said that her son was employed in the dyeing ■•hush-hush” department. He had to hold things in a long bath, which gave off fumes, and he told her that it was like needles going into him, and he had to put his head back to get fresh air.

Until he went to the works his general health was good, but he had had an accident in a coalmine, as a result of which his abdomen was strained. On November 21, he went to work on the night shift, and was brought home about midnight, almost helpless. De was feeling sick, faint, and dizzy, and wanted nothing to eat. His own doctor told him not to go into the department any more. Ths next day he said he would go down to the factory to see if they would

transfer him. They would not, and in consequence he was dismissed. Aftei being taken ill he was always out ot breath if he had to walk uphill. Dr S. C. Mattock, of the Nottingham General Hospital, said that aftei making a blood test he ascertained that. Naylor was suffering from plastic anaemia, a comparatively new illness.. The disease was entirely different from that which the other Celanese workers suffered from. In plastic anaemia the bone marrow stopped working and the sufferer became anaemic. The red cells of the blood were being continually destroyed and were not replaced by bone marrow, in which case the victim pos-j sibly died. There were various causes of the disease. One was an overdose of radium or X-rays. Another was a new German drug called thorium, and another was benzole. It might. also c'jmc from an acute . infection of measles, scarlet fever, or typhoid. On , the other hand, it might be duo to an , entirely unknown cause. In reply to a juryman, the Coroner said that even if the British Celanese

Company had been represented at the inquest, and if it had stated exactly what it was using in this department, (he jury would not get any further. If benzoic were used, it would not prove anything.