Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-22

that color blind persons may possibly.
owing to their development of powers
other than color sight, be able to
recognize lights at sea sooner than \
normal person. It is universally ac-
knowledged, he says, that even color
blind persons are able to recognize the
three lights used at sea, probably with
ease and certainty under ordinary
conditions, while a person who can be
shown to be definitely color blind win
yet for practical purposes attain con-
siderable success in the ordinary BUSH
ness of naming colors. The color
blind person is able to distinguish by
other criteria colored objects which he
is unable to distinguish by difference
of hue. How far he is able TO make
use Of these criteria depends on his
general intelligence and on the amount
of attention he has devoted to color.
These criteria are of three kinds
differences of hue, of luminosity, and
of saturation. A red and green llght,
which are wholly different To the nor
NAL eye, may also be wholly different,
on account of their difference in
luminosity and saturation, to q person
who confuses red and green, and of
these saturation is especially impor-
tant. Taking the lights used at sea
as examples the white light is gen
orally yellowish. and the red light
also yelowish, and therefore these
two lights will appear in the same hue
| to the red green blind person, but
they differ wholly in saturation. While
the color in which the red light APP
Ii IAc of
uration, the white light will obviously
have a very low degree OF saturatoh'
and ii is probably as result OF TINS
difference of saturation that the color
blind person never confuses these tWo
| lights The recognition of the green
light is more difficult matter Tor the
| color blind, partly on account OF the
| greater variability in the hue oil the
green lights. used at sea. Another
| proDerty of color blind vision Is one
of supreme practical Importance.
| Their power of discrimination in rela-
| ton to the crteria mentioned above IS
continually exercised throughout their
| whole lives. and as a result of this
exercise it is found that the color :
| blind can distinguish differences OF
luminosity and saturation more aef-
| cately than the person with normal
color vision. This increase, he sug-
| eests. NAV be so considerable that
color blind persons may actually be
liable TO see .colors which are so FAINT
las 10 be totally invisible To the nor
Imal eve. The importance of this Is
obvious. If the criteria of which ne
makes use are those suggested, 1t Is
To be expected that the capacity of j
color blind person who has found hi'
way into a responsible position at sea
for the discrimination of differences 81
| saturation, luminosity, and of sucs
lhues as he perceives will be greatly
heightened. DR.. Rivers states tina
he should be quite prepared TO nm,
that color blind person may Otter
be able to recognize q red, green, Oh
white light even sooner than nor
NAL person. He points out that ms
account is merely tentative, but sug-
gests that there is urgent means lol
an experimental inquiry to determine
how far such an account Is correct
Should it be proved to be even APP
| nroximately correct it will be obvious
THAT no condition is more important
than constancy in hue of the lights
used at sea. He advocates the inter
national standardization of the lights
used at sea. in which event many
eases of color blindness might be al
lowed to hold responsible posts WITH
safety, the only eases whose exclusion
would be absolutely necessary being
those with diminished luminosity OF
red In reference to the various hues
of green, he remarks that blue
green light will never be confused with
the red or white lights used at sea
and he points out that the essential
| step in the change he advocates, the
choice Of blue green light of con-
slant hue for the standard green light,
| mas already been taken by Great
| Britain and Germany, and possibly by
many other nations.-London Tele-
| graph.