Color-blindness : remarks / by B. Joy Jeffries.

  • Benjamin Joy Jeffries
Date:
[1881]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Color-blindness : remarks / by B. Joy Jeffries. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    the Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon-General of the Marine- Hospital Service.] [Some two hours were then spent by the various members of the board in questioning Dr. Jeffries and Professor Carmalt, in order to satisfy their doubts, or have misunderstandings cleared up, by personal I •explanations by these gentlemen of the various tests, and especially the apparent contradictory evidence of defect as shown by the worsteds' and the signal-lamps as they had been used; The board finally agreed, with these gentlemen.] Dr. Jeffries resumed: Our explanations have shown the great danger which may arise from these examinations being taken out of the hands- of the surgeons, and they have equally shown how readily this mistake1 was made; a mistake most apt to be made at first by almost all officials- who have to frame laws and instructions as to these tests, which are- so incomprehensible till seen and understood. A desire to see justice? done between the community and the pilot alone actuates the criticisms- made. It is with great pleasure that I testify to how far ahead of our mother country, England, this board is in this matter. There the tests - of masters and mates for visual power and color-blindness have been i left to the examiners in seamanship, of course non-medical men, with i a result, reported to Parliament, that is simply ridiculous. [Note.—Reference should be here made to the speech of Hon. B. W. Harris, of I Mass., in the U. S. House of Representatives, Feb. 18,1881, in Congressional Record.] On the other hand, across the channel in Holland, very strict rules - are carefully applied by competent medical men. I quote from my Manual, p. 262, as follows: “Regulations were also proposed to the government by Professor Donders in reference to the navy and mer- chant marine; and they are now accepted and enforced, as seen from an order in the same official paper, “ Nederlandische Staats-Courant,” ' of March 3, 1879. “The Minister of the Department of Industry, Commerce, and the Navy, referring to article 2 of the royal decree of Feb. 17,1879, (Staats- blad, No. 37) in regard to the carrying out directions for the examina- tion for a warrant as mate in the merchant marine, as directed by royal order of May 5, 1877, (Staatsblad, No. 98) has decided to re- quire— “1st. In the test for visual acuteness and color-sensation ordered in the article, the following: “ a- Normal vision,-without correcting-glasses, with one eye, and at least one-half of normal vision with the other eye. ub. Both eyes must be without manifest hypermetropia of a degree above D 1.00, and in one eye at least normal vision. “c. Visual field not limited in either eye. u d. Eyes and eyelids externally healthy without habitual congestion or imitation. “ e- Color perception perfect for transmitted light in one eye, and at least one-half in the other, according to Donders’ method. “2d. The report and declaration of the expert, as required in the above, si i all be considered valid for one month only from the time the test is - made. (Signed.) “TAK VON POORTVLIET. “ Graveniiage, Feb. 27, 1879.