Lecture on History of Occupational health

1. HISTORY OF OCCUPATIONAL
MEDICINE
Dr A Adeniran MBBS, MPH, FMCPH
Consultant Public Health Physician
Lagos State University (College of Medicine)
Nigeria

2. introduction
•Slave labour was rampant in the olden times to build many of the wonders
of the ancient world in Egypt, Rome & other places
•They were subjected to harsh conditions and many died in the process
•Things remained the same until 16th & 17th centuries when the early medical
pioneers in the field of health & safety at work such as Georgius Agricola &
Bernardino Ramazzini appeared on scene

3. Georgius Agricola: 1494 - 1555
•Devoted to working conditions in mines & industries especially
mining accidents & illnesses

4. Bernardino Ramazzini: 1633 - 1714
•Physician & a professor of medicine
•Known as the father of occupational medicine

5. Industrial Revolution in Britain
•Started in the 18th century
•Resulted in the employment of women & children in factories
who had to work long hours under unhealthy conditions
•Both medical practitioners & laymen fought against these ills
•Dr Charles Turner Thachrah (1795 – 1833) & lord Anthony
Ashley Cooper (1801 – 1885) were foremost in these fight
•Dr Charles Turner Thachrah was known as “father of British
industrial medicine”

6. Sir Thomas Morrison Legge (1863 – 1932)
•A doctor for the first time was involved when in 1898 sir Thomas
Morrison Legge (1863 – 1932) was appointed the first British
medical factory inspector
•He introduced the idea of occupational disease notification
especially lead
•He stressed the preventive aspects of occupational health practices
= Legge’s aphorism

7. Legge’s aphorism
1. Unless and until the employer has done everything, the workman
can do next to nothing to protect himself, although he’s willing to do
his part
2. If you can bring an influence to bear external to the workman-that
is one over which he has no control-you will be successful; and if
you cannot or do not, you will never be wholly successful

8. Legge’s aphorism Contd
3. Practically, all industrial lead poisoning is due to the inhalation of
dusts & fumes, and if you stop their inhalation, you stop the
poisoning
4. All workmen should be told something of the danger of the
materials with which they come in contact, and not be left to find it
out themselves- sometimes at the cost of their lives

9. UK regulations
•Factories act of 1833: regulate the labour of children & young persons in
factories
•Factories act of 1884: provided for the appointment of a certifying surgeon
who will examine young persons and declare them fit for factory
employment
•Factories act of 1948: changed the name to appointed factory doctor

10. International Occupational Health
•The oldest international body in modern times concerned with
global health & safety of people at work is ILO

11. International Labour Organization (ILO)
•Founded in 1919 under the league of nations
•Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
•Tripartite body made up of reps of government, employers and workers
•Its health work includes safety & health of all types of workers especially
from chemical & other industrial risks, hygiene of seamen, social &
medical insurance systems and workman’s compensation.

12. World health organization (WHO)
•Founded in 1948
•Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
•Its major stride in the field of occupation health (OH) started with the
report of first joint WHO/ILO committee on occupational health in 1950
which stated the purpose of OH:
•OH should aim at the promotion & maintenance of the highest degree of
physical, mental & social wellbeing of workers in all occupations……

13. OH in Africa/Nigeria
•Started with employment of GPs on either parttime or full time basis in
few organizations such as UAC, John Holt etc
•In 1969, the Nigerian government requested & obtained a technical
assistance from ILO on the development of occupational health

14. Conclusion
•OH is still evolving in Africa especially Nigeria, and there is still a lot of
room for improvement

15. Questions

16. Further Readings
• Asogwa SE, A Guide to Occupational Health Practice in Developing Countries, 2007