Final answer:
Neebe described the loss of fingers or a hand due to workplace injuries as causing severe pain, swelling, and the loss of ability to hold objects or perform tasks. These injuries often led to job loss without any social welfare support for the injured workers.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Neebe, when a worker lost a finger or a hand, it was a traumatic event with severe physical consequences. The injuries could lead to lost skin, nails, and severe swelling with constant pain. Often, these injuries resulted in the inability to hold objects or perform tasks, such as holding a pen, due to the damage caused by the machinery. In the broader context of industrial workplaces at the time, workplace injuries like these were common, and they frequently led to job loss. There was no public assistance or social welfare to support injured workers, leaving them without income after sustaining such injuries. The period was marked by dangerous work conditions with little to no regulation, where economic pressures led to a disregard for worker safety and health.