186 MMiscellanies. 
flesh of the terminating joint of the thumb was torn off together with 
the nail, and the latter was found upon the laboratory floor; the cor- 
responding finger was much injured, and the palm bruised and lacer- 
ated. fie 
His faithful and experienced assistant, George Workman, was hold- 
ing the hammer at the moment of the explosion, and was conse- 
quently wounded in the face and eyes; into one of the latter, a spic- 
ula of glass was driven, which was not removed without skillful sur- 
gical aid; he recovered however, ina fortnight. A pupil was wounded 
slightly in the face, and Dr. Hare himself had a small fragment of 
glass removed from one of his eyes. Among his late and present 
colleagues, are some of the most skillful of surgeons, who, with his 
pupils, were immediately present to afford every necessary aid. It 
appears, that he had been accustomed, for six years, to pour from 
the same vial, such portions of fulminating silver as he needed for his 
experiments, and had never met with any accident. He had, in the 
present instance, prepared an unusual quantity with reference to 
some analytical experiments which he had proposed to perform by 
igniting the powder in a receiver of known capacity, by means of a 
wire galvanized in vacuo ; the quantity of gaseous matter was to be 
ascertained by a gage, and the kinds by accurate eudiometrical 
analysis. 
Happily, no tetanic symptoms followed, and although the patient 
suffered intensely, he has been mercifully spared to his family and 
friends and the world. Excepting some rigidity and tenderness in 
the renovated muscles, he is now recovered. 
x % % x “ % % 
I cannot dismiss this subject without suggesting some cautions to 
young experimenters: the most memorable part of my own expe- 
rience was purehased in July, 1811, at the price of much suffering, 
and imminent danger of the loss of both eyes. 'The particulars of 
the accident were detailed at the request of Prof. Griscom, and 
published by Dr. Bruce in his Mineralogical Journal: I have also 
mentioned them more briefly in a note to my Elements of Chemistry, 
Vol. I..p. 348. It may there be observed, that the fulminating sil- 
’ yer, in the act of forming, exploded by a slight pressure, whale stall 
beneath the acid and alcohol, and therefore wet, and less liable to ex- 
plode, as one would suppose, than in Dr. Hare’s case. I will on this 
occasion, cite some remarks from the work named above. 
