510 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I76O. 



LXXXIII. An Eclipse of the Moon, Nov. 22, 1760, observed in Surrey - 

 Street, Strand, London. By James Short, M. A., F. R. S. p. Q36. 



Penumbra very sensible at yh 26™ 



Beginning of the eclipse at 7^ 39™- 



Quantity of obscuration = 17' 36' at 8 49 



Moon's diameter almost parallel to the horizon = 3' 51^ at 8 53 



End of the eclipse at 10 8 



LXXXIV. The Case of a young Man, who had lost the Use of his Hands 

 by Cleansing Brass Mire, By Mr. Samuel More, jipothecary in Jermyn- 

 street. p. 936. 



The disorders to which mechanics are unavoidably subjected by their em- 

 ployments, have exercised the pens of several ingenious writers ; among whom 

 Mr. M. would not presume to appear, but that he hopes the publishing the 

 following case may be of some service : for he is certain, every one, who has 

 been in the least conversant with the labouring people of London, must fre- 

 quently have observed their hands in a condition something resembling, though 

 perhaps not quite so bad as, that of the young man, whose disorder is the sub- 

 ject of the following paper. 



And as there is great reason to believe that the complaint, here treated of, fre- 

 quently happens to persons employed in the dyeing business, they will hereafter 

 have a method of cure laid before them, which, with little expence, will pro- 

 bably be of great service to them. And, on that consideration only, he had 

 been induced to submit this account of the disease to the public. 



It is proper first to premise, that in drawing brass wire for the pin makers, 

 the frequent passing it through the fire to anneal it, covers it with a crust, 

 which it is necessary to take off, before they can make use of it ; and, for this 

 purpose, it is sent to the dyers, who letting it lie for some time in the liquor 

 with which they have dyed what they call Saxon colours, (which liquor is com- 

 posed of water, oil of vitriol, alum, tartar, &c.) and then throwing it forcibly 

 3 or 4 times against the ground, the crust is, by degrees, broken off, and the 

 wire rendered bright and fit for use. The gratuity given for this is generally 

 allowed to the apprentices ; and in this work Francis Newman had frecjuently 

 at his leisure hours employed himself, till about the month of August 1759, 

 when the cuticle on the palms of his hands, and the inside of his fingers, was 

 become so hard and rigid, that he was no longer capable of doing either tliis 

 or any other business. 



For relief of this disorder, he applied to the person who attended the family 

 in capacity of apothecary, who gave him several doses of purging physic, but 

 without success. He was next admitted an out-patient of St. Thomas's hospital. 



