The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-24
COlOr.BlindnesS,

DR.. B. Joy Jeffries, Of Boston, Ameri-
cas- leading authority on color blind
ness, has been examining the students
of Yale college, to ascertain how many
of them suffered from defective vision.
Out of 325 students examined he found
seven to be color-blind. q find," re-
marked DR.. Jeffries to Union reporter,
"that one male in twenty is color blind
to a greater or lesser degree. You
wouldn't think it affected some people
to the extent it does. There are young
people who cannot tell red fruit from
green leaves. You may we'll imagine
| they've no business to go out picking
strawberries or cherries. TO some color
blind people grass looks red. while others
often run into red painted railings taking
them for grass, and to them blood looks
bottle green in color. | know q case
where a man had blue uniform and
waistcoat. He wanted pair of trousers
to match and so went out and bought a
red pair! To another victim the co olor
of cucumber and boiled lobster was the
same. Molasses and blood have the
SAME colors to many or-blind persons.
I heard of q MIN who never saw a red
nose-red to him always had q blue
color. An English authority tells of a
young man who picked up red not
coal and wanted to know what that
funny green thing was. Again. an artist
who had become color bind painted q
red tree in picture! In another in
stance man could not distirs lish by
gaslight the variously colored bottles
in a druggists window. There is a case
on record of postoffice clerk whose cash
account was always wrong. He might
have got into serious trouble but that is
was accidentlv discovered that he was
color-blind and could not distinguish
the red from the green stamps when
making ga les. And shouldn't wonder
if many q letter that is sent to the Dead
Letter office because it has on it two
cent stamp instead of a green three.cent
one, would never have so miscarried but
that color blind person unknowingly
applied the wrong stamp"
And what causes color-blindness,
doctor?" inquired the reporter.
"It is congenital defect, largely
hereditary, although it may be from
disease or injury. When congenital, it
is incurable, but when it results from
diseases of the eye or brain, it may not
become permanent. A jar or shock us
in railroad accident may cause per-
son to become temporarily color blind.
The excessive use Of alcohol and tobacco
may also cause it."
"And what do you hope to accom-.
plish by our investi tigations?
my object at present is to bring be-
fore the community the dangers and
prevalence of blindness - the
danger to life and property on land and
sea, of this curious visual defect. DO
you know that English railways pay two
millions of dollars year for killed and
injured passengers?" When [ get the
public aroused on this matter, l hope to
have such legislative action taken lat
will prevent the employment by public
corporations of .color-blind servants.
Red and green signals at sea, and red
signals by railroads-many an accident
is caused by color-blind employees mis-
taking these colors. I believe all en-
ployees should be tested on this matter.
Already in Massachusetts, the legislature
has taken hold of the question, SO far as
examining railroad employees is con-
cerned. 1hope other States will do the
the same. Moreover, I think my inyes-
LEGATIONS will be of value to private Cor
porations, in that they will run no risk
of employing color-blind help, and per-
haps or some one else may yet discover
some cure for this defect. I gain my
livelihood by my practice as a physician,
and pursue my color-blind Investigations
out of pure scientific interest"
DR.. Jeffries said that out of ii, 1876 men
examined by him. he had found 4e6 color
blind, and out Of l0.605 women exam
ined. only six were colOr-blind.