Preliminary communication: A physiological study of the effects of vibration on the fingers.

It has been well known for many years that the long-continued use of certain vibrating tools may lead to the development of Raynaud's phenomenon. Much is known about the clinical aspects ofvibratory Raynaud's phenomenon (see, for example, Agate, 1949), but it is not known how the vibration causes this disability. An important study was undertaken by Guillemin and Wechsberg (1953), who found that, after 1,000 hours' exposure to vibration, the rewarming time of albino rats exceeded the normal value. In our experiments the physiological effect of a short exposure to mechanical vibration was measured on the forefinger. As a physiological test, the Lewis reaction (cold dilatation) was chosen. This reaction, according to Magos and Okos (1955; 1956) is diminished or abolished in patients suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon.