Matchmakers' "phossy jaw" eradicated

Diseases that have been eradicated by worldwide action are rare. Rarer still are examples of occupational diseases that have been eradicated. Phosphorus necrosis, also known as "phossy jaw," was associated with the manufacture of matches. International action to overcome this disease was seen as necessary so that one nation would not have a competitive advantage over another resulting from the elimination of white phosphorous in the manufacture of matches. In the United States the tax power of the federal government was used as the control measure. Following passage of the Match Act of 1912 by Congress, the United States joined other nations in eliminating the dreaded disease, phossy jaw, from its population.