Dr Frank Seymour's report to the Local Government Board on the occurrence of lead poisoning in the Urban District of Guisborough, and its relation to the public water supply.

  • Seymour, Frank.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Dr Frank Seymour's report to the Local Government Board on the occurrence of lead poisoning in the Urban District of Guisborough, and its relation to the public water supply. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (c.) Some few of these cases were typical clinical examples of somewhat mild lead poisoning. {(1.) In the majority of instances lead was found to be excreted by the urine.'*'' On the other hand, the following points required consideration :— («.) The presence of the Burtonian line (“ blue line ”) was infrequent. This, however, is not altogether surprising in the absence of any suspicion of inhalation of lead dust. {b.) T. he cases were of a comparatively mild nature as compared with cases of lead poisoning usually met with in- dustrially. (c.) The reported cases »were confined to a single practice although there are two other medical practitioners in the town. I made inquiries of these practitioners and was informed that no case which they definitely regarded as lead poisoning had come under their notice. This was in spite of the fact that their attention had been drawn to the question by the reported prevalence of the disease in the practice of their colleague. On the other hand, neither of them had caused any tests to be made for the presence of lead in the urine, although the value of such tests in doubtful cases was not disputed. With a view of ascertaining whether in point of fact the prevalence of symptoms such as observed by Dr. Stainthorpe was restricted to his practice, I made, in company with the medical officer of health, a house-to-house visitation which extended to nearly 150 houses. The following is an analysis of observations made :— Houses visited ... ... ... ... ... ... 147 No one at home ... ... ... ... ... ... 21 No suspicious symptoms heard of in any inmate of the house ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 8/ Suspicious symptoms heard of or observed in one or more inmates ... ... ... ... ... ... 39 * The significance of lead in urine should be regarded in the following way ;— Lead is not normally excreted in urine, nor is it a normal constituent of the human body. When it has gained access to the body, however, it may be excreted for considerable periods of time, the general health meanwhile remaining unaffected —in fact, so long as the excretion equals the ingestion symptoms often do not occur. As soon, however, as any adventitious circumstances, such as chill, feverish illness, &c., interfere with the excretory function, then lead becomes stored up in the body and is liable to produce prejudicial effects. In other words, though the health of a person who is excreting lead by tlie kidney may be unaffected, yet that person is liable to suffer from symptoms of lead intoxication at any time. There is a presumption that when symptoms not incompatible with lead intoxication occur in a given individual who is actually excreting lead, then lead is the cause of the symptoms; and when the symptoms alone are themselves sufficiently marked to suggest lead poisoning, then the presence of lead in the urine may be taken as conclusively establishing the diagnosis.