1) 豚脂, 牛脂ならびにコプラの荷上げおよび倉庫での臭化メチル燥蒸作業に従事する港湾作業者に焦燥感, 頭痛等の神経系の訴えが多発したので, これら作業者の健康診断を行なうとともに, 燻蒸作業の実態を明らかにした.
2) 脂質に関する環境測定により, 作業者にみられた高脂血症, 肝機能障害の傾向は, 環境濃度よりはこの作業者に特有な食餌性の脂肪摂取過剰に起因するものと認められた.
3) 臭化メチルの環境濃度については, 検知管, ガスクロマトグラフ分析において, いずれも許容濃度以下であったが, さらに管理を厳重に行なうことにした.
4) これら作業者にみられた神経系の自・他覚的症状は臭化メチルに特有な症状と異なっており, 脳波等を含む精密検診の結果からも, その中毒が否定され, その原因は勤務の不規則性が一原因とも推測される.
5) 臭化メチルの環境実態調査から, これら食用油脂原料への燻蒸の必要性はすくなく, 植物防疫法上の適用除外等の改正が必要と考えられる.

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The disease due to mechanical vibrations has been regarded as that showing Raynaud's phe-nomenon. The authors have observed that the patients with vibration disease have symptoms of the central nervous disturbance. The purpose of this study was to clarify evidences of the disturb-ance of the central nervous system caused by mechanical vibrations.
Clinical features and laboratory findings of 60 patients hospitalized with vibration disease were analysed, 50 of them being chain saw operators in the forest, and 10 jack hammer operators in the rock. The average age was 47.4 years (range, 33-67) in the former and 51. 6 years (range, 37-60) in the later. The operators of chain saw and jack hammer had worked for 2 to 16 years (average 9.8) and for 4 to 7.2 years (average 5.8), respectively. The classification of severity by Andreeva-Galanina's criteria showed one patient in Grade II, 55 in Grade III and 4 in Grade IV.
Incidences of subjective symptoms of peripheral functions such as Raynaud's phenomenon, . numbness, pain, cold sensation or stiffness of fingers ; pain on elbows and neck ; stiffness of shoul-der and lumbago were almost the same as those reported by many investigators. However, there were higher incidences in the complaints induced by the central nervous disturbance. These com-plaints were heavy feeling of head, headache, severe sleeplessness, early morning wakefulness, disturbance of memory, depressive feeling, palmar sweating and impotence. The incidence of each of these complaints ranged from 50% to 90%. Moreover, there were strikingly characteristic pat-terns in electroencephalograms, i. e., fast waves of twenty five Hz with or without spindle form were found in the frontal or pariental poles. The incidence of the fast waves was in proportion to the severity of the disease, waves appearing sporadically or continuously. In the Grade IV, however, the fast waves disappeared perfectly and flat EEG patterns appeared. The spindle-formed fast waves were disfigured to the non-spindle form by potent treatments. On discharge of the patient fast waves of the non-spindle form disappeared as well. Amplitudes of the fast waves of spindle and non-spindle forms were 50 to 60 μV, and 30 μV, respectively.
In conclusion, the vibration disease is considered to be a systemic disease. Namely, the me-chanical vibration impaires not only peripheral circulatory and nervous functions and bones and joints, but also the central nervous system. Clinical symptoms have been relieved by treatments.
In a certain degree of severity, disturbances caused by mechanical vibrations are reversible and functional. The clinical symptoms of the vibration disease are mainly induced by the disturbance of nervous, circulatory and hormonal systems and bones and joints. These can be divided into peripheral and central features.

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For the last 10 years satisfactory treatments of vibration disease have not been devised. The authors have treated 60 patients with vibration diseases and their symptons have been improved. The purpose of this paper is to present our methods of treatment and the results.
The subjects were 50 chain saw operators working in the forest and 10 jack hammer operators on the rock. The average age was 47.4 years (range 33-67) in the former and 51.6 (range 37-60) in the later. Their average periods of work were 9.8 years in chain saw operators and 5.8 years in jack hammer operators.
The treatments consisted of physical, pharmaceutical and psychological therapies. The physical therapy aimed at the enhancement of blood circulation and nervous reflex. Its feature was gymnastic exercise employing a wooden pole or a ball. It also included swimming in a hot water pool, body massage and paraffin bath. In the drug therapy, we used a vasodilator drug (kallikrein or ergot alkaloid) and an agent accelerating nerve metabolism (adenosine triphosphate). 200 mg of ATP were given intravenously by drip for a week. This therapy with ATP was employed every other week. There were no side effects in these therapies.
One course of these therapies lasted for 6 weeks. Before and after the course laboratory examinations including EEG were performed.
A specific therapy differing from the above was also given, that is, administration of soporifics, blocking of the stellate ganglion by procaine or cervical tractions.
The regimen during hospitalization was to keep body warm and not to smoke.
By the above-mentioned therapies, 30 of 60 patients hospitalized was discharged within the second course, having improved their subjective symptoms and the abnormality of EEG.
In conclusion, collective therapies including physical, drug and psychological ones, would lead to produce effective and satisfactory results for the reason that this disease is a systemic one.Patients in the first course should be treated as a group for encouragement to receive the treatment.

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