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63
(2) That the presence of this asbestos dust in the lungs produces
a definite disability, adversely affecting earning
capacity and decreasing the expectation of life.
(3) That it is possible for an exposure to asbestos dust over a
period of six months to produce a definite disability
lasting over man}' years.
(4) That there is not sufficient evidence to warrant an opinion
on the question of the possible increased incidence of tuberculosis
in persons who are suffering from asbestosis.
(5) That these conclusions indicate that the conditions under
which certain of these cases have been working have been
such as to permit the inhalation of asbestos dust, with
consequent pulmonary disability.
From the time of the interim report to the end of the year the
research into this matter has been continued, so that, amending
the table of persons investigated, we have at the end of the year 23
cases investigated, 9 of which showed sufficient evidence to warrant
a diagnosis of asbestosis, 10 of which showed no sufficient evidence
at that time to warrant a diagnosis of asbestosis, and 4 of which
were awaiting further investigation.
At about the beginning of December one of the cases included
in this table died. On the instruction of the coroner an inquest
was held with a jury, and the jury brought in a verdict of death
from "asbestos poisoning."
It may almost be considered that if the report of June was an
interim report, as suggested then, the coroner's verdict was a final
report, because the case was one of the earliest, and the verdict
rested upon the evidence which had been collecting for two years.
Since writing this Report on asbestosis in June 1929 I have
had the advantage of consultations with other people who are
interested in this work, and whilst it is still true that our own series