Building up the science of welfare care

An imposing amount of knowledge has been produced during the course of three hundred years of research in the field of occupational medicine and in other specialisations that in the last fifty years developed as branches of this discipline (industrial hygiene, industrial toxicology, respiratory physiopathology, etc). Part of this scientific heritage has been used to the full to plan and carry out prevention measures that have led to improved working conditions in many sectors of industry. Examples are the successes obtained in the prevention of pneumoconioses, aplastic anaemia and leukemia due to benzene, cancer caused by aromatic amines, and diseases occurring in pesticide users and consumers of agricultural products treated with such products. More recently, through original research programmes, with particular reference to the "Clinica del Lavoro" of Milan, a theoretical revision was made of the conception and method for analysing the relationship between organised work and health, resulting in an organic arrangement of the variables and procedures for the analysis of working conditions for the purposes of prevention. Other ways and areas where scientific bio-medical knowledge can be used are: a) planning of prevention measures on a vast social scale; b) variables and indicators for planning and assessing services designed for diagnosis and prevention of occupational risks and diseases; c) development of training programmes. In spite of these positive results, European Community statistics show that still too many occupational accidents and work-related diseases occur all over the world, especially in the developing countries, because the amount of scientific knowledge used is still much smaller than what is already available. The causes of this situation are many, among which those of a cultural nature. The author proposes the setting up of an "International Network for the History of Occupational and Environmental Prevention", and furnishes a detailed illustration of the aims and foreseeable initial actions.