Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-01-09
DOCTORS USE coLORs.
Insane Patients Are Being Cured by a
Remarkable Process.

Insane Patients Are Being Cured by
Remarkable Process.
A new cure for insanity is being test
ed by Drs. Bond and Monette Of
Ward IS Island. The color cure is
Greatme ment new to aliensts, but on
that promises to become very success
full. for, so far, great many of tn
patients taken to the color ward hav
been cured. Ur. Dent, Superintend
ent of the Woman's Hospital on th
island, directed that ward be Sc
aside for the color treatment, and b.
fitted with all that the experiment re
quired.
In this new treatment only the pri
mary colors are employed, but SO com
Ipletely le the patient surrounded by al
atmosphere of particular color, deem
ed best by the physicians for his par
ticular mania, that the vibrations mus
act upon him. The rooms of this wore
| are small, and the furniture consists oil
an iron bed and chair. The walls arr
painted in vivid color, the bed anC
chair colored to correspond with the
walls, and the lights sifts into the
room through shade of the same col
or, SO that an atmosphere of this color
is created.
When one of the patients suffers from
acute mania the room that is painted
black, very dungeon of room, falls
to her lot. This complete darkness and
the silence of the place seldom fail to
have some effect on the patient. AS a
matter of fact, it tends to soothe, and
soon it is noticed that the subject be
comes quieter. Red. producing more
vibrations to the second, than any
other color, is employed when melan
oholia is being treated. These rays of
red attract the mind, their vibrations
are necessarily felt by the patient. and
the thoughts in the poor brain are set
in motion. There are violet rooms for
mild forms of insanity. blue and green
rooms for the boisterous. and a white
room for the person who is practically
well.
A recreation room OF hall extends
through the middle of the long, low
building On each side of this half
are ranged the rooms, and as the visi-
tor steps from the outdoor light into
the subdued quiet Of the hall the COM
bination of the rays of light from the
different rooms is quite startling for d
moment.
That the different colors have effect
on the insane patient was well illus
trated the other day when woman
suffering from melancholia was led
down the hall. First come the black
rooms; these she passed without evinc
ing any difference in her state of OBJ.
servation. The violet, green and blue
rooms had the same effects; before each
door she paused, but did not raise her
eyes. Then came the brilliant orange
room. For moment she raised her
eyes, then lowered them again. Three
of these rooms she passed, and was
then brought abruptly in front of the
room with the red walls She raised
her head instantly, looked into the
room, and then about her. The vibra
tions produceed by this color had evi
IDENTIFY been felt by her, while the 9th
ers had had no effect. In this way the
room is generally selected for their pa
tient. OF course, when the case of
melancholia is so mad that nothing will
attract attention. red room cannot
be supposed to have immediate effect,
but after week or two weeks in this
room some slight improvement may
be noticed, the glance of an eye, the
motion of a hand or the head mean
much to the doetors-more then the
layman would ever imagine.
There are three rooms of three
shades of the same color, each lighter
by several degrees than the preceding
one. From red the patient is removed
to deep pink room, from this to one
of a flesh tint. and then they generally
come<out well. or so nearly well that
only certain number of hours in the
day aeed be spent in the color room.