166 COLOR-BLINDNESS IN ITS RELATION TO 



In an additional note, he adds: "This account of the treatment of 

 color-blindness must be brief on account of the object for which it is in- 

 tended ; but it may be necessary to set forth in a few words the process 

 in use in schools. 1 have simplified it as much as possible. The chief 

 point was to have the colors corresponding with those of the solar spec- 

 trum, that is, those generally designated by the names of violet, indigo^ 

 dhie, green, yellow, orange, and red. The scale of colored wools that I 

 presented in large quantities to managers and agents of railways, to my 

 colleagues, to several teachers, male and female, and to individuals under 

 treatment, was thus arranged : five packages were composed of three 

 shades each — three shades of red; three of yellow, including orange; three 

 oi green; three of blue, including in^/^/o; three of violet; and besides one 

 package of white and one of black wool. The children are summoned 

 one after the other, and separately interrogated. The examination of 

 those who are without this defect, and are well trained, is soon made. 

 Those who hesitate or trip should be treated with great indulgence, and 

 set straight, if I may so express it, and if their errors are not easily cor- 

 rected, their answers are accurately noted down. The master then, in 

 another lesson, shows and names the colors to the children, and makes 

 them repeat with him. It is important not to make the inexpert pupil 

 an object of ridicule or even of attention to his companions. The 

 lesson should be repeated every three or four days until he is quite cer- 

 tain that the idea of colors is well established. The training is com- 

 pleted by making them name the color of the various objects within 

 reach of the master j flowers, fabrics, geographical maps, etc. Ourpupils 

 will not be able to distinguish the 14,420 tints established by M. 

 Chevreul, but they will have acquired the indispensable mimimum ; they 

 will know the a, h, c, of the science of colors." 



What we have just quoted cannot essentially change the view we 

 have adopted and described in the preceding i3ages. To demonstrate 

 the curability of color-blindness, it is indispensable to prove, first, that 

 the treatment is applied to those whose deficiency has been duly estab- 

 lished, and, in the second place, that these same at the end of the treat- 

 ment have a normal chromatic sense, or at least are not color-blind. 



Dr. Favre's pamphlet does not furnish us on these points with suflicient 

 evidence. We cannot, from our point of view, have much confidence 

 in the method of investigation employed by Dr. Favre. It is not only 

 possible, but even extremely probable, that ignorance and a want of prac- 

 tice might pass for color-blindness, and especially as the examination is 

 that of children. That there were among the individuals under Dr. 

 Favre's treatment some cases of genuine color-blindness would appear 

 from the fact that two children, a year after beginniug the training, had 

 not succeeded in learning the task imposed, which nevertheless does 

 not seem to present insurmountable difficulties, even in instances of per- 

 sons really color-blind. 



In brief, without attempting to deny the curability of color-blindness 



