Stagger

Japanese: よろけ

Along with kedae (a lung disease caused by smoke pollution), this was one of the most common occupational mining diseases in the Edo period. It was common among underground mining laborers and was primarily caused by silicosis, a disease caused by ore dust during mining. Due to the manual labor involved in mining and poor ventilation, it was said that even young miners would become like old men after three years of mining work. As a countermeasure, wind boxes and wind funnels were used to ventilate the mines, and in the mid-19th century, attempts were made at the Iwami-Omori Silver Mine to pump in medicinal steam and have miners wear masks, but this had little effect.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

けだえ(煙害による肺の病気)と並んで，江戸時代の職業による鉱山病の代表的なものである。坑内の採鉱労務者に多く，採鉱のさいの鉱塵によっておこる珪肺（けいはい）を主とした病気である。手労働による採鉱労働と，通風の悪さとが原因で，若い鉱夫も3年間採鉱労働をすると老人のようになるといわれた。対策として，風箱，風漏斗による坑内への通風が行われ，石見大森銀山では19世紀半ばに，薬蒸気の送入と，鉱夫のマスク使用とが試みられたが，効果は小さかった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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