"The Cotton Dust Papers" is the story of the 50-year struggle for recognition in the U.S. of this pernicious occupational disease. The authors contend that byssinosis could have and should have been recognized much sooner, as a great deal was known about the disease as early as the 1930s. Using mostly primary sources, the authors explore three instances from the 1930s to the 1960s in which evidence suggested the existence of brown lung in the mills, yet nothing was done. What the story of byssinosis makes clear is that the economic and political power of private owners and managers can hinder and shape the work of health investigators.
Foreword v Preface vii Acknowledgments ix By Any Other Name: Brown Lung and The Social Recognition of Disease 1(14) ``Kiss of Death: Banning the Suction Shuttle in Massachusetts 15(14) William Mass Charles Levenstein Gregory F. DeLaurier Textiles Move South, 1920-1940 29(12) Cotton Colic 41(12) The Harvard Cotton Dust Project 53(20) Charles Levenstein Susan Woskie ``We Were Running from It, Really: Workers Compensation and Byssinosis, 1950-1968 73(14) Georgia and the ``Mysterious Disease of Byssinosis 87(12) Bouhuys Disease 99(10) Brown Lung and the Dilemmas of a Novice Investigator, 1968-1969 109(12) Full Circle: ``Burlingtons Disease 121(18) Brown Lung and the Lessons for Occupational Health and Safety 139(12) Index 151
Charles Levenstein, Gregory Delaurier, Mary Lee Dunn
