Phossy Jaw and the French Match Workers: Occupational Health and Women In the Third Republic

The 1898 suppression of white phosphorous in the French match industry was a victory of organized labour. At a time when most French workers did not have the power to effect changes in the health and safety conditions of their work, the match workers succeeded. At a time when most French women were not unionised and did not pursue effective action on occupational health problems, French women in the match industry succeeded. This book, first published in 1989, examines their actions and provides the definitive account of their success.