Dermatologic Diseases in Silk Workers

Abstract

A survey of 112 workers of a silk facory near Bangalore, for dermatologic diseases revealed (1) a characteristic wearing off of the medial halves of the distal free edges of the finger nail plates in 10 of the 15 cocoonsorters, (2) maceration of the palms in 58 workers of the boiling and reeling section, and (3) pitted keratolysis of the palms, in 42 workers, also from the boiling and reeling section. There was no clinical evidence of contact dermatitis, and patch tests with the silk thread from the cocoons in 25 workers showed a very mild reaction in 2 workers and a doubtful reaction in another two. In addition, one worker from the skeining section had crisscross superficial fissures on the finger tips caused by friction, two workers had paronychia 'of the fingers and four workers had dermatophyt*t fingers webs. As in the previous survey, these workers also had a high incidence of ichthyosis (92 workers )and hyperketatosis of the palms (62 workers) and soles (110 workers).