Eye injuries in relation to workmen's compensation / [by Freeland Fergus?].

  • Fergus, A. Freeland (Andrew Freeland), 1858-1932.
Date:
[1906?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Eye injuries in relation to workmen's compensation / [by Freeland Fergus?]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    EYE INJURIES IN RELATION TO WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION. The problem of compensation for eye injuries is all but insoluble; at any rate, there are not at present sufficient data to give a solution, for statistics, so far as I am aware, have not been collected in sufficient quantity. Attempts have been made, both in this country and abroad, to derive mathematical formulae expressive of what may be called visual efficiency. The two communications on this subject which are of most easy access are, first, the very suggestive and able paper by Mr. Berry, of Edinburgh, in vol. XXV of the Transactions of the Oplithalmological Society of the United Kingdom; secondly, the excellent paper by Mr. Percival, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, read at the recent International Ophthalmic Congress. It will at once be admitted by all ophthalmic surgeons who are competent to form a just opinion that in the department of mathematics as applied to-the practice of ophthalmology no higher authorities exist. Whatever they say on such a matter must be received as authoritative. I do not propose in this short paper to criticize in any way these contributions; all the more so, that with the full know¬ ledge of the subject which these gentlemen possess, each of them states that no formula can be absolute; it, at best, can only express an approximation, or perhaps only indicate the directions in which a solution is to be obtained. An author who was also an authority, the late Professor Peter Guthrie Tait, is reported to have said that it was quite impossible to formulate anything which involves • human volition. We might go a step further, and say it is impossible to reduce to mathematical formulae any¬ thing involving human action based on individual human volition and intelligence. Thus, to take an example which seems to me somewhat apropos, I know of one blind man who can scarcely find his way to the house next door, and I know of another who plays an excellent hand at whist, and who on certain occasions has been known to get out on the leads of his house to shovel off the snow. Here it may be remarked parenthetically that because one blind [492/09]