Evening star., 1933-12-31

pen or fingers patiently back and forth from q
distance about six inches from baby's nose to
fully IL inches. Somewhere within this range
he may be able to fix both eyes on 1t as early
as his very first day. --.
Do not be worried If he can't though. Some
infants can't do it until the third
day-some not until toward the end OF the
second week.
Can newborn baby notice the difference
between pink blanket and blue one? Does
ne realize that the hue of either varies from
that Of his white pillow slip?
DR.. Beasleyis experiments have paved the
way for color vision tests of the newborn, and
he hopes to give these tests to a great many
infants during the coming year. A.I
This is the test: '--tN.A
On screen at the foot of the babys expert
mental crib will be focused a round spot Of
colored light Both the spot and the back
ground will be reflected in mirror above the
infants head adjusted so that the spot appears
at just the right distance from the baby's eyes,
Now II the baby follows the movement Of
cherTy-colored spot as it dances about over .
leaf-green background of similar brightness
this will demonstrate conclusively that that
child is not color blind to red and green. Since
the colors can be varied at will, the child can
be similarly tested for any type Of color
blindness.
FOLLOWING the spot is absorbing game
for the young baby, it has already been
found in tests designed to measure his keen-
ness Of vision In these tests the lights were
not colored; the background of the screen was
black and the spot was varied from quite
bright light to spot so dark that 1t could not
be distinguished from the background. line
Of light has also been used.
The baby only few hours old will follow
the movements of line an eighth of an inch
wide and only very slightly different in bright
ness from the background. Spots are followed
even more readily than the lines.
Negro babies were found to be superior to
the white infants in the vision tests, and the
we're also more fully developed physically a
birth One little dusky pckaninny even tried
to crawl or squirm off the crib while the tests
were in progress.
What color are a newborn baby's eyes? II
you want some fun ask any Of your friends this
question. Even nurse who has handled many
a newborn is likely to give you the same an
swer-that all newborn babies have blue eyes.
Physicians have made the same statement.
q
based on this tradition.
Yet newborn's eyes are not blue! Ger
tainly not always-not even most often. They
may have blue shades in them, or lavender, or
violet, or brown, or even yellow and red and
g1een. But only % babies from about 50Q
examined by DR.. Beasley had pure blue or grayS
blue eyes.
There is reason for the tradition, however.
II you look, not very carefully, at the eyes OF
almost any young white baby you will see that
they have clouded appearance that might be
called blue or gray or muddy"
But now look at them again under bright
illumination with some optical aid like a read
ing glass or pocket microscope. You will be
rewarded by seeing the real color Of the eye.
The clouded, opaque appearance Of the new
born's eyes is probably due to a lack Of clear
ness in the fluid between the front Of the iris
and the cornea, and this cloudiness acts as
veil to hide the true colors of the eye from the
casual observer.
And it gives to the eyes Of the newborn that
mysterious Buddha-like look Of other worldly
wisdom and inscrutable depth. .i..J