1752 James Ayscough A short account of the Eye and nature of vision p30

James Ayscough (born 1720, died

1759 In Great Britain, this year was known as the ''Annus Mirabilis'', because of British victories in the Seven Years' War. Events January–March * January 6 – George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis. * January 11 &ndas ...

) was an English

optician An optician, or ''dispensing optician'', is a technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the nec ...

and designer and maker of

scientific instruments A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research. History Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...

. He was apprenticed to an optician named James Mann from 1743 to 1747. James Ayscough became known for his

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...

s. His shop was in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

between 1740 and 1759. Around the year 1752, James Ayscough introduced

spectacles Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples o ...

with double-hinged side pieces. Although he made clear

lenses A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

, he recommended lenses tinted blue or green to treat some vision problems. These

with tinted lenses are believed to be the precursors to

sunglasses Sunglasses or sun glasses (informally called shades or sunnies; more names below) are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can s ...

. In February 1755 he began to contribute to the ''Gentleman's Magazine'' a daily register of the weather, month by month. It included barometric reading of pressure, and two temperature readings, in the early afternoon, and late in the evening. There was also a brief comment on the day's weather. He may have begun the record with instruments that the magazine already owned, (as it had been recording pressure and temperature sporadically since 1747, initially printed at the end of the monthly stock market report.) Initially barometric pressures were read to 1/10th of an inch, but that soon changed to 1/100th, suggesting that he made his own instrument. His published register attracted the attention of George Smith near Carlisle, who began to contribute a matching record for Cumberland. This continued until Ayscough's death in 1759; his last entry in his record at London (Clerkenwell) was 23 August 1759.

References

1759 deaths British opticians British scientific instrument makers Year of birth unknown Optical engineers {{UK-scientist-stub