A method of examining the sputum for asbestosis bodies (1929)

This short note in the British Medical Journal described a laboratory method for checking a person's sputum (phlegm) for asbestosis bodies. It reported no study group, case counts or statistics. Half an ounce or so of sputum was mixed with an equal amount of undiluted antiformin, a chemical that dissolved the sputum. The mixture was diluted with water and left to stand for three or four hours. Most of the liquid was poured off and the rest was spun in a centrifuge at moderate speed for ten to fifteen minutes. The sediment was spread on a glass slide, prepared and mounted, then examined under a microscope. The author reported that asbestosis bodies were usually present in very small numbers, perhaps only one or two in a whole slide. In some older workers they were numerous, up to one or two per microscope field in parts of the slide. The author warned that glassware had to be cleaned carefully, or later samples could be contaminated. The slides could also be stained with a test that turned the bodies Prussian blue.

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From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. J-M listed it in its medical library index as no. 003197.