Diseases of coal miners in southern Brazil in the mid-twentieth century

Abstract

This article analyzes the living and health conditions of workers in coal mines in southern Brazil, especially the diseases and illnesses that affected them. It discusses the emergence of public health and occupational medicine as areas of study and research on the diseases that affected workers, specifically coal miners in Europe and in some countries in Latin America. Through the bibliographic research of authors who researched the workers’ occupational health and the reports of doctors who lived and worked in the coal region at that time, the aim is to relate the theoretical discussion to the empirical analysis of the accidents and diseases of coal miners in Brazil. Finally, it analyzes the lawsuit of a mining accident at work in Santa Catarina, demonstrating the clashes that occurred between workers, bosses and work accident insurers in the middle of the 20th century

Keywords

• occupational medicine
• professional diseases
• coal miners