The conflict of living matter with the mineral world: The pneumoconioses

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Abstract
The following conclusions can be reasonably drawn from the results shown. The first point is that the results observed do not lead to any conclusion on the fundamental problem of the mechanism of the harmful action of certain mineral particles. However, the problem should be transferred from the level of the tissue to that of the cell. A second conclusion can be drawn from our observations. Cytoplasm can apparently be altered by dust in 2 ways by coagulation or by vacuolization, and by proteolysis to more simple protein complexes. The post-mortem degeneration of cells is produced in two principal ways: coagulation necrosis implying suppression of all enzymes, and autolytic proteolysis involving dislocation of the cytoplasm proteins. The coagulated cell can, however, be disrupted, but more slowly and by proteases of external origin (heterolysis). In autolytic proteolysis, there is a great deal of liberated waste, poly-peptides in particular. These find themselves in a favourable medium and set off the inflammatory reaction early. It should be possible to apply these well-known findings of general pathology to the action of mineral dusts. However, to show the truth of this conception, it would be necessary to isolate the cellular wastes and to study experimentally their capacity to provoke inflammation and fibrosis. It is to be hoped that biochemical and toxicological research may be carried out on these fundamental points. From this work other conclusions can be drawn. First, it is necessary to define the particular cellular effects of the different mineral dusts. We have been able to distinguish, at least provisionally, 3 principal types, and these types should be worth investigating further. It is possible that other types of mineral injury to the cells will be found and should be sought. Moreover, yet another chapter should be opened in mineralogical cytopathology, that of the effect of a mixture of mineral dusts. Since it frequently occurs in industry that the inhaled dusts are mixed, the problem is therefore of great practical interest. In the course of research, which is still only beginning, we have already been able to observe that particles of diatomite (Kielselguhr), by themselves innocuous and non-fibrogenic when added to quartz particles, reduce the fibrogenicity of the latter.

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