Summary

Chapter 46 began with Inez Vallat’s death at the start of 1936, which was not attributed to an occupationally contracted disease. Soon after, the Illinois Occupational Diseases Act was signed by the governor and on track to become law in the fall of that year. This was not helpful to the original dial-painters, who could not use the law retroactively. By March 1936, Mary Doty from the Chicago Daily Times wrote a piece on the women's struggle that ran for three days. The public saw their deteriorating bodies as well as the emotional pain of their families. The article motivated the women to continue searching for legal representation, so Charlotte, Catherine, and Marie found attorney Jerome Rosenthal to help. Tom also acted as their spokesperson to contact Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor.

In May, Tom confronted Mr. Reed about company medical records that were kept...