Anaesthesia and the potter.

The causes and historical background of the high incidence of severe silicosis among pottery workers in the Stoke-on-Trent area are described. The pathogenesis, pathology, and clinical manifestations of the disease are discussed. Although the incidence of silicosis in the Potteries has declined spectacularly in the past 20 years with the introduction of preventive measures, there still remains a generation of middle-aged and elderly potters with the disease who pose special problems for the anaesthetist and the thoracic surgeon.