Mercuriosities

Ether was the first anesthesia to be used in surgery. Before it became available, surgery was a prospect that few people were willing to undergo.

“The inhalation of ether as a means of rendering patients unconscious of pain during surgical operations, was tried at the Stamford Infirmary on Wednesday the 17th inst. Two cases were subjected to the process, and the apparatus used was that invented by Professor Fergusson, of King’s College, London. The first patient was an agricultural labourer, 36 years of age, who that morning had had his hand crushed by a thrashing-machine, making it necessary that one of the fingers should be amputated. After he had inhaled the ether for three minutes and a half, he appeared to be under its influence, uttering a disagreeable moaning noise, his eyes being fixed, and his face livid. The operation was quickly performed. When it was over, he was asked whether he had been aware of what was going on? – to which he promptly repliee (sic), ‘Oh yes, I felt you all the while.’ – The second case was that of a young woman, one of whose teeth was to be drawn; and with her the effect of the ether was more quick and more complete, for in a minute and a half she was evidently unconscious, and the tooth was soon extracted. It then becamse necessary to use stimulants, and to dash cold water in her face to restore her. On her reviving, she was asked whether she would have the tooth drawn? to which she answered rather archly, ‘I think it is out.’ In this instance the effects of the ether did not go off so happily as had been hoped for; the girl continued in a comatose somnolent state till the Friday following, taking no notice of anything, but answering questions when put in a loud tone. Some active means being then used, she began to improve, and his now recovered her usual state of health. – From this case, we may infer that the propriety of using an agent so powerful as the ether inhalation in the minor operations of surgery is doubtful; for it is uncertain whether a greater evil may not be inflicted than is avoided by it.”

The Stamford Mercury, 26th February, 1847.

These Stamford Printers supplied not only writing paper, but some interesting books about Queen Anne, the trial of Charles I and horticulture.

“To be sold, by the printers hereof, at Stamford in Lincolnshire, being Imported from Holland:

All sorts of fine Writing-Paper, from 5 d. to 1 s. 6 d. the Quire. Those that want a Quantity, will have it cheaper by the Ream. The following B O O K S may also be had of the Printers aforesaid, viz. T H E Life of Queen Anne. In which is contained, the most considerable actions of her Reign, both at Home and Abroad; her Character, Vertues and private Devotions. Also a particular Relation of her sickness and Death; with some Account of the Differences at Court which then happened. Illustrated with all her Speeches, Messages, Letters, &c. to her Parliaments and Allies; The Honours and Preferments bestow’d during her Reign, and other considerable Events. – The Florists Vade-Mecum. Being a choice Compendium of whatever worthy Notice hath been Extant, for the Propagation, Raising, Planting, Encreasing, and Preserving the rarest Flowers and Plants that our Climate and Skill will perswade to live with us. Together with Directions what to do each Month throughout the Year, in both Orchard and Flower-Garden. By Sam. Gilbert, Phileremus. – England’s Black Tribunal. Set forth in the Tryal of King Charles I by the then High Court of Justice in Westminster-Hall, Jan. 20, 1648. Together with his Majesty’s Speech on the Scaffold, and a perfect Relation of the Sufferings and Death of divers of the Nobiity and Gentry, for their Loyalty, with their several Dying Speeches, &c. Note, The Price of each is affix’d in the first Leaf of the Book.”

The Stamford Mercury, 11th February, 1720.

We probably think of ‘grog’ as a cocktail of rum with hot water, lemon and a sweetener (sugar or honey), rather like a ‘hot toddy’. But, in fact, its name came from grogram, a type of coarse fabric of silk, mixed with wool or mohair.

“Until the time of Admiral Vernon*, the British sailors had their allowance of brandy or rum# served out to them unmixed with water. This plan was found to be attended with inconvenience on some occasion; and the Admiral, therefore, ordered that in the fleet he commanded, the spirit should be mixed water before it was given to the men. This innovation, at first, gave great offence to the sailors, and rendered the Commander very unpopular. The Admiral, at that time, wore a grogram coat, and was nicknamed ‘Old Grog‘. This name was afterwards given to the mixed liquor he compelled them to take; and it has since universally obtained the name of grog.”

The Stamford Mercury, 15th November, 1822.

#The rum ration survived until 1970. By then ships’ systems and weapons had become increasingly complex and the Admiralty was worried that a tot of alcohol could impair the sailors’ ability to operate them.

*Admiral Edward Vernon, 1684 – 1757, Royal Navy officer and politician.

Warning – this is not a nice story! Two children were attacked in their bed by the family ferret, which had escaped from its cage. Ferrets were generally used for hunting rabbits (for the pot) as they were thin and could go down into the warren. Nowadays, they are used to help control rabbit numbers.

“On Friday evening, two girls of the ages of four and five years, belonging to a person named Howard, living in the Old Londond road, St., Alban’s, were attacked by a ferret while asleep in bed. The mother of the children, after she had put them to bed, between eight and nine o’clock in the evening, went into a neighbouring house, where hearing the screams of her children, she came home, and on going up stairs, to her astonishment and alarm, found the bed clothes covered with blood, the children crying, and a ferret fastened to the eye-lid of one of them. The woman was greatly agitated, but removed the dangerous animal as speedily as possible. One examining the children, their eye-lids and hands were found bitten in several places : on the latter, the injuries were received in the attempts to drive the ferret away. The affected parts soon became much swollen and showed symptoms of inflammation, and the children were deprived for a few days of their sight, but they are both fast recovering. The ferret belongs to Howard, the father of the children, who kept it in a hutch down stairs, from which place it made its escape, and found its way up stairs to the children’s bed.” – Essex Herald.

The Stamford Mercury, 8th January, 1847.

Actually, this is not a piece of fancy – there are some mouse species which sing, notably Alston’s Brown Mouse (Scotinomys teguina), found in Central America. Perhaps this one stowed away aboard a ship that landed at Dover!

“In our journal of May 4th, 1844*, we recorded the capture of a singing mouse, which was exhibited at the Exchange public house Charlton; and we have now to record that a similar lusus naturae# has been caught at the residence of a laboring man named Samuelson, living in Strond-lane, Dover. It appears tha the family have for the past 3 months heard a chirping behind the fire-place, which was supposed to be from a cricket. The gude wife, however, one evening saw a mouse run into a hole, and at night set up a live trap: in the morning she was much surprised at hearing a singing noise proceed from the trap in which the mouse was caught. It was then transferred to a more roomy cage, and has since daily amused numbers who have been to visit this musical genius, which at times sings very loud, and much like a bird. The animal is very similar to the common mouse, except that the tail is much longer, and the head smaller, with very sharp eyes.” – Dover Telegraph.

The Stamford Mercury, 8th January, 1847.

*i.e. in The Dover Telegraph.

#Freak of nature.

Cribbage is sometimes considered a rather an old-fashioned game, but great fun and sometimes, strategically challenging! This piece describes a strange game and with interesting results.

“Curious case at Four-Handed Cribbage – where not any of the four parties can hold a single first point in hand, and yet the dealers shall win the game the first show:-

Example. – Let A and B deal against C and D, each person to hold a three, four, six, seven, with any tenth card, and each to lay out their tenth card for the crib; D then cuts the card for the turn-up, which proving to be a knave, A and B mark two points. It being C’s first play, he leads with pitching his four, which B pairs, and marks two points; D then plays his four and marks six points for a pair royal*; A then plays his four, making a double pair royal, for which he scores twelve points; C then plays again with his three, which is paired by B, who marks two points more; D plays his three, and marks six for a pair royal; and A comes in with his three likewise, which making a double pair royal, and the end hole, he marks for such thirteen points; C then plays off again with his seven, and marks six points: and A, playing his seven, makes a double pair royal, for which, and the end hole, he marks thirteen points more; here again C plays his six, which is paired by B, who scores two points; D plays his six and marks six points; and A, who is the last player, makes a double pair royal with his six, for which and the end hold, he marks thirteen points, which, with the various other points played by A and B, complete the game, or sixty-one points; while C and D have only been able to play twenty-four points. Thus the game is won by A and B without holding a single point.”

The Stamford Mercury, 30th January, 1824.

*a pair royal – that is, three cards of the same rank.

(Did you know that there is a thriving Cribbage League in the Stamford Area? If you would like to know more about it or to join one of the teams, contact Sarah on 07495 567643.)

What a lucky escape this young man had when an horrific accident befell his eye, whilst watching an angler on Stamford Meadows. But who was to blame – the angler for not looking properly before casting or the youth for standing too close?

“A remarkable accident happened last week to one of the sons of a respectable tradesman in Stamford. Walking in the meadows on the banks of the Welland, he appraoched a person who was angling in the river, and he stood for a few seconds to look on: the angler drew out his line, and gave it the usual swing with the intention of placing the float in a new situation, when by an extraordinary accident the hook struck the youth who was looking on, and actually fastened together both the lids of one of his eyes, so as completely to close them. It was feared that the barb had also penetrated the orb of the eye; but on promptly resorting to the surgery of Messrs. Merveilleus and Burdett, it was found practicable to extricate the hook by a simple cut of the eye-lids, and that the eye itself was not at all injured, although the hook had pierced and connected the lids just in front of the pupil, and the very smallest increase of the depth of the puncture must have been fatal to the sight. It is supposed that the youth involuntarily winked as the line was whirled by the angler, and that at that instant the hook entered and fastened together the two eye-lids.”

The Stamford Mercury, 5th August, 1825.

Strong-arm tactics and bribery were suspected as means to pursuade people to elect the Marquis of Exeter in the general election at Stamford in 1831. Charles Tennyson (uncle of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the poet) was also elected.

“The election for the borough of Stamford commenced on Saturday last. Lord Thos. Cecil was put in nomination by Mr. Gape and Mr. Phillips; Col. Chaplin, by Capt. Chadwick and Capt. Glossop; and Chas. Tennyson Esq., by Mr. Rd. Newcomb. jun. and Mr. Ashby. After a show of hands, Lord T. Cecil demanded a poll; at the final close of which, at one o’clock on Tuesday, the numbers were, for Lord T. Cecil 390, Mr. Tennyson 356, Col. Chaplin 302. The two former were declared duly elected, and were chaired. – This great triumph of the popular interest at Stamford in the election of Mr. Tennyson, has resulted from the virtuous spirit and perseverence of the middle and humbler classes of the town, in opposition to the long-established influence of the Marquis of Exeter, aided as that influence has been on the present occasion by an immense expenditure of money (said to be not less that 14,000l.), and by still more questionable means, – such as the introduction of numerous pugilists, and other persons of that description, from London, and of an immense band of hired labourers from the villages around Stamford, whose only recommendation was their ability to wield weapons of offence.”

The Stamford Mercury, 6th May, 1831.

The topic of the Thames Tunnel was first mentioned in our post of 25th June, 2024. It was made posssible by Marc Brunel’s invention of the tunneling shield. It seems strange that Sir Marc was not present, but at the age of 72, he may have been too infirm to attend. He died in 1849.

“A thoroughfare was yesterday effected in the Thames Tunnel, and was made use of for the first time by the whole of the directors and some of the original subscribers, who had assembled upon the occasion. The shield having been advanced to the shaft at Wapping, a considerable opening was cut in the brickwork, and it was through this the party who had met at Rotherhithe were enabled to pass, thus opening the first subterranean communication between the opposite shores of the river. Upon their arrival at the shaft, the party were greeted by the workmen with most hearty cheers. A curious and interesting incident was connected with the event; a few bottles of wine, preserved since the dinner given on the occasion when the foundation stone was laid, with the understanding that it was to be drunk only when it could be enjoyed by the company to the health of her Majesty and the infant Prince. It was remarked, too, as a singular coincidence, that a seal on one of the corks bore the impress of the Prince of Wales’s feathers, a circumstance that caused some merriment. The engineer, Sir J.* Brunel, appeared highly gratified at the happy result of all his past anxiety and arduous labour.”

The Stamford Mercury, 19th November, 1841.

*We presume this is a type-setter’s error: the tunnel had been designed by Sir Marc Brunel and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel worked on the tunnel as well. Somehow the I became a J. It seems strange that Sir Marc was not present, but at the age of 72, he may have been too infirm to attend.

It seems it was common practice for flour sellers to mix horrible things (even poisons) in their product to bulk it up and make it whiter. Apparently tea was also subject to this type of fraud.

“Adulteration of Flour – At the Mansion-house on Saturday, a flour-factor appeared to a summons charging him with selling five sacks of adulterated flour, contrary to the provision of the Act 4th Geo. IV., commonly called the Bakers’ Act. The complainant, a baker residing in the Hackney-road, stated that on the 7th inst. he purchased the flour in question from the defendant. On tasting it he felt convinced that there was a quantity of plaster of Paris, beans, &c. mixed with it, and he therefore sent a sample of it to Mr. Clarke, of Apothecaries’-hall, to be analysed. – Mr. Clarke stated that he had been in the habit of analysing flour and other articles of food for Government for the last 25 years, and that he had analysed the sample of flour produced; the result of the experiment convinced him there was no plaster of Paris in it; but he found that on fifteenth part of in consisted of beans, and the remainder was flour of the coarsest dewscription. – The Lord Mayor asked Mr. Clarke if there was any thing in the flour unwholesome, or likely to prove injurious to the consumer, to which her replied in the negative. His Lordship said, that being the case, he could not convict under the Act, and the complainant must seek his remedy by and action at law, and he should therefore dismiss the complaint. – His Lordship then asked Mr. Clarke whether the flour was ever adulterated with plaster of Paris, to which Mr. Clarke replied, that a short time since he went down to Hull, by order of the Lords of the Treasury, to analyse samples of 1467 sacks of flour, then at the Custom-house there, to be shipped for Spain and Portugal; and on examination, found one-third of it was plaster of Paris, one-third burnt bones and beans, and the reminder of the flour of the coarsest description. Mr. Clarke also said that he was at present engaged by order of Government in analysing several chests of Caper Souchong Tea, and although he had only examined a few of them, yet he found that one-fourth of their contents was lead ore, or poison of the rankest description, and he knew from experience that a great quantity of tea was adulterated in a similar manner.”

The Stamford Mercury, 29th July, 1825.