The effects of arts, trades, and professions, and of civic states and habits of living, on health and longevity : with suggestions for the removal of many of the agents which produce disease, and shorten the duration of life / by C. Turner Thackrah.

Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The effects of arts, trades, and professions, and of civic states and habits of living, on health and longevity : with suggestions for the removal of many of the agents which produce disease, and shorten the duration of life / by C. Turner Thackrah. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    rally in exposed situations, and often inhaling the vapour of tar. Grog, and ale, when they can he procured, are generally taken too liberally. With the exception of pains which they term rheumatic, but which are more probably the result of stress on particular muscles, car- penters have no marked disease. The hearing, however, is often impaired by the noise of their employ. Acci- dents, also, from the adze are frequent. Carpen- ters at sea-ports, and boat-builders at inland towns, are rather long lived; but those who accompany our fleets are subject to such various agents of disease and injury, as rarely to attain great age. Carpenters, Joiners, Wheelavrigilts, and Millwrights, appear to receive no injury from their respective employments. I must state, however, that although temperate millwrights are healthy, and continue then- employ to a great age, often even to that of 60, there is another class, who fit up the shafts and wheels to convey the power from the steam engine to the ma- chinery, and who suffer from their debauched habits of life. These men earn high wages; take much of that pernicious compound called ale, and sometimes even drams in addition, and are moreover off work at the pot- house two or three days in the week. Such men, of course, are unhealthy and short-lived. Coopers have good muscular exercise. When lads enter the employ, the stooping posture affects the head; and the noise, the hearing. This, indeed, is often per- manently, though not greatly impaired. The men are annoyed also by pain in the loins, the result of posture. On the whole, the employment is healthy. Ropemakers, though they have exercise in the open air, suffer inconvenience from their stooping posture. A similar observation applies to Gardeners. Though robust and healthy, they complain of pain in the loins. d