1 54 Successful Application of the Magnet } employed to 



may have operated in the formation of rocks and earths 

 which have not hitherto been suspected to exist. 



It would be easy to pursue the speculative part of this in- 

 quiry to a great extent; but I shall refrain from so occupy- 

 ing the time of the Society, as the tenour of my object in 

 this lecture has not been to state hypotheses, but to bring 

 forward a new series of facts. 



XXVI. Successful Application of the Magnet, employed to 

 extract a Fragment of Iron out of the human Eye, which 

 had been lodged there about five Months. By Mr. Wil- 

 LiAxVt Pjgram, Sen., of Tenterden*. 



Tenterden, 

 July 12, 1S08. 



About five months ago Charles Milsted, a blacksmith, of 

 Tenterden, whilst in the act of striking the head of one 

 hammer against another, on a part of work which required 

 him to strike with great violence, a particle of iron about the 

 size of a small pin's head, flew off from the head of the 

 hammer, and darted into the ball of his left eye; the acci- 

 dent was attended with extreme pain, and continued without 

 any abatement. 



Some weeks after this accident, I applied a magnet to the 

 part injured, with an expectation that it might draw out the 

 particle, but I could only draw out a mixture of powdered 

 rust with the tears. I supposed the salt liquid of the eye had 

 dissolved this calx from the iron. This gave no relief, as the 

 fragment of iron was yet remaining in the eye. A surgeon 

 endeavoured to take it out with the point of a lancet ; but 

 the fragment was firmly fixed, and very near the pupil of 

 the eve, so that it was impossible to touch it with any in- 

 strument, but with extreme danger. Being informed the 

 young man was in great agony, and without any hope of 

 relief, I sent for him again this 12th of July, with a desire 

 to try once more what effect the magnet might have. I was 



* Communicated by Mr. John Swift, of Fenchurch-street. 



the 



8 



