M. Cocude
 

The answer is quite simply because the health of miners is a major concern for us and the convening of a symposium is a good means of drawing attention to the subject.

There is indeed a great risk, given the indisputable decline of collieries, of considering this subject as secondary (we daren't say 'minor'). That's not at all the case. The decline and then the cessation of coal mining does not eradicate pneumoconiotics overnight and new cases are identified daily. Beyond this sector, cases of pneumoconiosis are not rare in other extractive industries and in a number of other industrial sectors. Lastly, working on this topic cannot but be useful for other environniental pulmonary pathologies.

A fearsome stumbling block in the case in hand is that of the apathy entailed by the absence of any significant therapeutic progress whereas medicine is making spectacular advances in other fields. We answer this with our determination to explore all possible channels. Reviewing the advances of the past decades should moreover encourage us to forge ahead.

One of the means of finding new possible channels is to use a complete change of approach. We have chosen to change cultural context by taking an interest in oriental medicine.

This is indeed the interest of a symposium- taking stock of what is done and what can be done by comparing experiences and broadening as far as possible the methods of approach; here, by calling to this table the bearers of an entirely différent cultural tradition.

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2 - Why Chinese medicine?

There are many reasons.

Chinese medicine obliges us to make a great 'decentration' effort. It is a cultural shock for us and, in passing, it can be noted that this shock was felt particularly by one of our great predecessors, Mr LOCHARD, Inspecteur général des Mines, and Chairman in 19451946 of our Committee-which was then known as the Commission du Grisou-after having been Chef du service des mines of Indochina. The Charbonnages du Tonkin were, it cati. be recalled, one of the wealths of the French colony and then of Vietnam today.

The major reason for this choice resides in the fact that China today is the world's biggest coal producer with a billion tons produced every year. This order of magnitude is more than ten times greater than that reached by French collieries at the height of their activity. Unsurprisingly China also has the greatest number of diagnosed pneumoconiotics--several hundred thousand. (In France, today we have some 25 000 sufferers after a peak of twice that number twenty years ago).

Prevention and the treatment of pneumoconioties are therefore major concerns there and it will be entirely beneficial. to us to see what the Chinese do in this field, particularly in traditional medicine. The combination of this medicine with western medicine is moreover the subject of much research within China nowadays.

In addition, Chinese medicine is one of the non-conventional medicines (complementary and alternative medicines--CAM) on which the European Parliament has recommended a study by the European Commission with the necessary work being undertaken to. validate such therapies and with credits being assigned to it from 1994 on.

At the session of Thursday 29 May 1997 the Parliament invited for example the Couneil 'to promote the development of research programmes in the field of nonconventional medicines integrating the individual and holistic approach, the preventive role and the specific characteristics of non-conventional medical disciplines,

We therefore hope, at the end of today's exercise, to make a positive contribution to the analysis undertaken at European Union level.

This symposium organised by the CORSS (Commission des recherches scientifiques et techniques sur la sécurité et la santé dans les industries extractives-Scientific and Technical Research Committee on Safety and Health in Extractive Industries) will comprise two main parts.

The first part will give a presentation of pneumoconioses and associated pathologies. Then the methods for monitoring pneumoconiotics will be presented along with the treatinent given to them. A glimpse over the past fifty years (since the nationalisation of the coal mining industry soon after the Second World War) will show the progress accomplished during this period. Respiratory rehabilitation will be addressed in its own right. A third section will be devoted to a presentation of ongoing research work in western medicine and the prospects of that medicine.

The second part will address the Chinese approach. to the disease and its suffèrers. Three main aspects of Chinese medicine-acupuncture, qi gong and the pharmacopoeia-will be examined... There are other aspects such as massages or moxibustion which we will not address, except in passing, fer want of time. For each of the aspects tackled, a general presentation will be given with a statement of its problems and the validation criteria in view of the requirements of contemporary science.

The contribution of therapies to cases of pneumoconioses and more generally to cases of pulmonary pathologies will be discussed along with future prospects, research to be undertaken and experiments to be conducted.