EFFECTS ON HEALTH.—Industrial poisoning in the petroleum industry is attributable to the gases given off from crude petroleum or its products and to inhalation of naphtha dust. Poisoning occurs principally in the recovery of petroleum and naphtha from the wells, in storage and transport (in badly ventilated tanks on board ship, and in entering petroleum tanks), in the refinery in cleaning out petroleum stills and mixing vessels, and in emptying out the residues. Further cases occur occasionally from use of benzine in chemical cleaning. In addition to poisoning the injurious effect of petroleum and its constituents on the skin must be borne in mind. Opinion is unanimous that this injurious action of mineral oil is limited to the petroleum fractions with high boiling-point and especially petroleum residues. Statistics officially collected in Prussia show the general health of petroleum workers to be favourable. These statistics related to 1380 persons, of whom forty-three were suffering from symptoms attributable to their occupation. Of these forty-three, nine only were cases of poisoning, the remainder being all cases of petroleum acne. The conditions also in French refineries from statistics collected in the years 1890-1903 seem satisfactory. Eighteen cases of petroleum acne were reported, eleven of which occurred at the paraffin presses, five in cleaning out the still residues, and two were persons filling vessels. The conditions are clearly less favourable in the Russian petroleum industry.[1] The workers at the naphtha wells suffer from acute and chronic affections of the respiratory organs. Those suffer most who cover the wells with cast iron plates to enable the flow of naphtha to be regulated and led into the reservoirs. In doing this they inhale naphtha spray. Lewin[2] describes cases of severe poisoning with fatal issue among American workers employed in petroleum tanks. One man who wished to examine an outlet pipe showed symptoms after only two minutes. Weinberger describes severe poisoning of two workers engaged in cleaning out a vessel containing petroleum residue. Interesting particulars are given of the effect of petroleum emanations on the health of the men employed in the petroleum mines of Carpathia, among whom respiratory affections were rarely found, but poisoning symptoms involving unconsciousness and cerebral symptoms frequently. These experiences undoubtedly point to differing physiological effects of different kinds of naphtha.