Quotation from: General Science

Written by: Bertha M. Clark


38. Safety Matches. Ordinary phosphorus, while excellent as a
fire-producing material, is dangerously poisonous, and those to whom
the dipping of wooden strips into phosphorus is a daily occupation
suffer with a terrible disease which usually attacks the teeth and
bones of the jaw. The teeth rot and fall out, abscesses form, and
bones and flesh begin to decay; the only way to prevent the spread of
the disease is to remove the affected bone, and in some instances it
has been necessary to remove the entire jaw. Then, too, matches made
of yellow or white phosphorus ignite easily, and, when rubbed against
any rough surface, are apt to take fire. Many destructive fires have
been started by the accidental friction of such matches against rough
surfaces.

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