Koelsch

Koelsch Franz (Franz Koelsch, b. 1876), one of the greatest contemporary scientists in hygiene and occupational pathology, a pioneer of sanitary labor inspection in Europe. He began his practical work in this field as a Bavarian sanitary inspector (Landesgewerbearzt) and specialist in questions of occupational hygiene at the Bavarian Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (from 1909). In recent years, he has taught occupational hygiene and occupational pathology as an extraordinary professor at the medical faculty of the University of Munich. He is a member of the international commission on occupational hygiene at the League of Nations, and a member of the permanent committee of international congresses on the study of occupational diseases. K. organized in Munich the "Arbeiter-Museum," which is one of the best in Europe for addressing questions of occupational hygiene. K. has written more than 100 various works in the field of occupational pathology; in particular, his work on the study of pneumoconiosis and tuberculosis in the porcelain industry is widely known ("Porzellanindustrie u. Tuberkulose", Lpz.-Wurzburg, 1919). K. authored a number of chapters in major collective guides, such as: Weyls Hndb. d. Hygiene, Vol. VII, Lpz., 1914-17; Hndb. d. soz. Hygiene, ed. by A. Gottstein, A. Schlossmann u. L. Teleky, Vol. II, B., 1926; Schadigungen der Haut durch Beruf u. gewerbliche Arbeit, ed. by M. Oppenheim, J. Rille und K. Ullmann, Vol. I-II, Lpz., 1925 (Vol. I published in Russian, M., 1927). In Russian, besides several other, less major works, the following were also published: "General Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Pathology" (M.-L., 1926) and written together with Misch (J. Misch) "Occupational Diseases of the Teeth and Oral Cavity" (M., 1927). K. strives to use occupational hygiene in the interests of the genuine protection of the working masses and attempts to fight purely entrepreneurial tendencies in the field of labor protection, at the same time, however, not daring to boldly connect with workers' professional organizations. K. is an advocate for the necessity of introducing the teaching of labor hygiene in all medical faculties and vigorously propagates the idea of the need to create a new discipline, which he gives the term Arbeitsmedizin (literally "work medicine").