iry, which formed the prelude and basis of Lord
Ashley's Act, much valuable information regarding the diseases of
colliers was elicited; and no one can peruse the voluminous
parliamentary report pertaining to these investigations, without being
struck with the very general prevalence of affections of the chest among
miners. It is to be hoped, that the interesting facts in regard to
disease, which this recent most necessary investigation has laid open,
will be the means of directing the attention of scientific men to the
subject, with a view to obviate, as far as human efforts can, the evils
which have been exposed. It may at first appear difficult, to point out
the means of removing effectually the causes of the pulmonary
carbonaceous disease of miners, but, be the difficulties what they may,
humanity encourages us to make the attempt.

In the _first place_, let us endeavour to ascertain the cause, and
_secondly_, to suggest means for the mitigation or prevention of this
scourge.

My present remarks do not refer to coal-miners in general, but to a
district in Scotland, in the Lothians, east of the river Forth, where
the labour is hard, and where its severity is in many cases increased by
a want of proper attention to the economy of mining operations. These
operations, as at present carried on, are extremely unwholesome, and
productive of diseases which have a manifest tendency to shorten life. I
draw the materials of my description from what I saw in a part of that
district referred to, where the various cases, hereafter to be adduced,
came under my medical treatment, and where I had the privilege of
examining the morbid appearances after death.

The locality[2] in which my observations were made, is that part of the
Lothians, extending from south to north, stretching from the foot of the
Lammermoors towards the sea-coast, including the coal-works of
Preston-Hall, Huntlaw, Pencaitland, Tranent, and Blindwells. In this
range of the coal-formation, the seam of coal is variable, but generally
exceedingly thin, varying in thickness from eighteen inches, to three or
four feet. It is with difficulty that mining operations can be
prosecuted, from the extremely limited space in which the men have to
move, and from the deficient ventilation. It appears, after thorough
investigation, that in the majority of the coal mines above mentioned,
ventilation is very much neglected, and that this neglect is partly
caused, by the immuni