ACCIDENTS BY RAIL AND- SEA. 143 



On the 14th of July, of the same year, I had an opportunity, before a 

 congress of Scandinavian physicians assembled at Gothembourg, of 

 giving an account of the method, of stating the results obtained by its 

 use, and, besides, of expressing my views on the necessity of taking 

 measures, on a large scale, for the detection of color-blindness, especially 

 amongst railway employes. It resulted in the congress unanimously 

 resolving that it was necessary to make investigations for the detection 

 of color-blindness: 1st. Amongst employes of railways; 2d. Amongst 

 pilots, light-house keepers, and sailors in general ; and 3d, In schools. 

 During the session of the congress I had an opportunity also of proving 

 to the physicians the practical utility of the method by examining, in their 

 presence, and with the permission of Colonel Carlsohn, 100 men of a regi- 

 ment of artillery from Gothia, amongst whom we found four color-blind, 

 namely, one red-blind, one green, and two incompletely blind. Besides, 

 on the same occasion, we discovered amongst the medical members of 

 the congress one green-blind, and amongst the audience one red-blind. 



I was then advised to apply directly, in person, to the directors of rail- 

 ways. Thanks to the press, which had attentively followed up the 

 debates of the Gothembourg congress, the question had reached the 

 public. It naturally became an object of attention to railway officials, 

 although received by a greater portion of them with a certain mistrust, 

 seeing in it the result of a scientist's imagination or an overwrought 

 solicitude, rather than a matter of practical application for the benefit 

 of railways. " If color blindness really exist," they said, " it cannot, at 

 any rate, be amongst the employes, or it would undoubtedly have been 

 remarked ; especially must this be the case amongstthe engineers and con- 

 ductors, as they rise from inferior grades, and consequently have amply 

 proved their ability to distinguish signals." It was therefore of extreme 

 importance to endeavor to obtain at once positive assurance on this 

 point. The opportunity soon presented itself. Mr. Jacobsson, superin- 

 tendent-in-chief of the Upsala-Gffle line, invited me to accompany him 

 in a tour of inspection to examine all the employes under his con- 

 trol. The trip was made in a special car; we left Upsal the 7th of 

 September, and, to make our inspection, halted at every station and 

 gate-keeper's and guard-house. In brief, we stopped at every place where 

 an employe could be found. The investigation was concluded at Gelie, 

 the 8th of September. The entire personnel, men and women, number- 

 ing 266 individuals, was examined. We discovered amongst these 

 thirteen color blind men, that is, 4.8 per cent.; six were completely green- 

 blind, and seven incompletely blind. They were distributed as follows, 

 with reference to their functions: one station-master, one engineer, two 

 conductors, one foreman, two workmen (one a supernumerary), two 

 overseers (one a supernumerary), two way-guards, one porter (messenger), 

 and one journeyman engineer. Immediately after the examination, the 

 general superintendent discharged all who were completely green-blind. 



This first inspection was in many respects very interesting. It showed 



