Color-Vision and Color-Blindness: A Practical Manual for Railroad Surgeons
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Catalogue Number: 2285
Color-Vision and Color-Blindness: A Practical Manual for Railroad Surgeons
Category: Book
Sub-Category: Book of historical note
Author: JENNINGS, J. Ellis
Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1905
Edition: 2nd edition
Time Period: 1900 to 1939
Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Philadelphia
Publisher/Manufacturer: F.A. Davis Company
Description Of Item: The book is hard cover charcoal colour, 220 x 145 mm, with132 pages including an index. It has 27 illustrations including illustrations of colour vision tests. The first chapters give a historical background to defective colour vision and its occupational implications, describes the retina, the nature of light and theories of colour vision. The later chapters describe colour blindness, methods of testing, and rules for the examination of railroad employees. There is a bibliography of 61 references. The 1st edition was written in 1896. This edition includes a new chapter on testing the form and light sense and describes some lantern and other practical colour vision tests.
Historical Significance: Jennings was Professor of Diseases of the Eye at Barnes University, St Louis, and surgeon to the St Louis and San Fransico railroad system. This book was written to stimulate the adoption of colour vision standards for the railways and to advise on test methods. (see also Vingrys, A J and Cole, B L (1986) Origins of colour vision standards within the transport industry Ophthal Physiol Opt 6, 369-374). We hold two copies: Cat No 66 is in the Aitken collection. This copy is inscribed by former owner Howard S Bell, a distinguished Melbourne optometrist in the first half of the 20thC. See also Jeffries BJ Colour blindness: its dangers and its detection (1883) Cat No 1335 for another book on this subject.
How Acquired: Not known
Condition: Good, but for library markings
Location: Archive room. East wall. Books of historical note
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