THE EMPHASIS ON QUARTZ

Emphasis on quartz did not prevent identification of clinical disease associated with asbestos fiber inhalation. Such cases were seen by physicians among employees of the growing asbestos industry.

The first such case in the medical literature was reported in 1924 by W. E. Cooke. The Cooke case opened a new era, with the observations detailed in the British Medical Journal.

A further description of the case was published in the same journal in 1927 (8), allowing the condition to be named “pulmonary asbestosis.” It stimulated wide discussion at the next meeting of the British Medical Association, and attracted the attention of the Medical Inspectors of Factories who sought out other cases.

Further, with awareness of additional instances of illness among workers exposed to this dust, a survey was undertaken of employees of one of the largest British asbestos plants. The findings led to general appreciation that an important pneumoconiosis, without appreciable amounts of quartz, existed (9).

To review the references in Dr. Selikoff’s article see Pages 275-276 of his report.