The Cotton Dust Papers Science, Politics, and Power in the "Discovery" of Byssinosis in the U.S

"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 Preface Acknowledgments CHAPTER 1.By Any Other Name: Brown Lung and The Social Recognition of Disease CHAPTER 2.“Kiss of Death”: Banning the Suction Shuttle in Massachusetts by William Mass, Charles Levenstein, and Gregory F. DeLaurier CHAPTER 3.Textiles Move South, 1920-1940 CHAPTER 4.“Cotton Colic” CHAPTER 5.The Harvard Cotton Dust Project by Charles Levenstein and Susan Woskie CHAPTER 6.“We Were Running from It, Really”: Workers’ Compensation and Byssinosis, 1950-1968 CHAPTER 7.Georgia and the “Mysterious Disease” of Byssinosis CHAPTER 8.Bouhuys’ Disease CHAPTER 9.Brown Lung and the Dilemmas of a Novice Investigator, 1968-1969 CHAPTER 10.Full Circle: “Burlington’s Disease” CHAPTER 11.Brown Lung and the Lessons for Occupational Health and Safety Index

Charles Levenstein, Gregory Delaurier, Mary Lee Dunn