The Heart of the Matter

This chapter considers the evidence linking carbon disulfide and heart disease. It first examines how the viscose rayon industry fared in the aftermath of World War II, paying attention to changes in the landscape for rayon and cellophane, including the growing presence of synthetic polymers. It then discusses carbon disulfide poisoning cases, including cases of central nervous system disease consistent with vascular insult. It also looks at Enrico Vigliani's 1955 publication that included experimental laboratory studies evaluating potential mechanisms by which carbon disulfide might induce atherosclerosis, zeroing in on lipid metabolism; John Tiller and Richard Schilling's study of possible heart disease deaths among the workers of the three Courtaulds factories in North Wales; and Dr. Thomas Mancuso's investigation of the neuropsychiatric toxicity of carbon disulfide—his analysis concentrated on death by suicide.