VISUAL REQUIREMENTS OF SAILOR AND RAILWAY EMPLOYEE. 259 
of other cases at the time of his death. In that work Mr. Nettleship 
makes the following pertinent observation (p. 3):—‘ For reasons 
such as the above, defects in sight are regarded by those who have to 
inquire into accidents as of such little importance that in the official 
investigations the question of defects of sight in the men who are 
on look-out or corresponding duty is scarcely ever raised. Naturally, 
therefore, no accidents are discovered to have had visual defects’ for 
their cause. Continuing to reason in a circle, the conclusion is that 
defects of sight do not cause accidents! It would be ludicrous if the 
matter were not so grave that though precautions of greater or less 
efficacy are taken to exclude men with conspicuous defects of sight from 
entering the sea or railroad services because such defects are admittedly 
dangerous, yet, when the accident happens, no trouble is taken to find 
out whether the man responsible for it has efficient sight or not. Every 
possible cause for the casualty is sought out, but the possibility that his 
vision either was defective when he entered the service or has become 
so since is never even considered.’ 
Yet in spite of the foregoing the fact remains that Dr. Orr and I 
reported in the Lancet, October 29, 1904, the account of the wreck of 
the Australia and the previous grounding of the Indraghiri by a pilot 
whose form vision was very defective. In spite of this Report, the 
statements of Sir Walter Howell and Sir Norman Hill appear in the 
Expert Committee’s Report. I propose now to refer to the methods 
adopted in the Victorian Railways, the Victorian Pilot Service, and the 
Union 8.8. Co. of New Zealand. The history of vision-testing in the 
Victorian Railways is too lengthy for detailed reference. The number 
of candidates who have to be dealt with is very large, and the Depart- 
ment has adopted a rough-and-ready plan with which I am not in 
complete sympathy, but which undoubtedly eliminates the majority of 
the defective cases. Colour vision is tested by the lantern and form 
vision by Snellin’s types. For those entering the service the vision 
required is 6/6 in each eye and 6/6 in both together. The pupil is then 
dilated with homatropine and the vision is again tested. It must now 
not be less than 6/12 in each eye or 6/12 in both together. Once the 
applicants are admitted to the service they are re-tested without the 
use of homatropine, and must possess 6/12 vision in each eye and 6/9 in 
both together. 
I propose now to indicate the steps that have been taken by the 
Marine Board of Victoria to provide for the thorough examination of 
the vision of pilots who enter their service, and for their re-examination 
since the disaster of 1904. I also quote Clauses 100, 102, 104 and 
105 of the regulations which provide for the contingencies to which 
Mr. Nettleship referred. 
Victorian Pilot Regulations. 
Pilots must be examined prior to admission to the service, and 
their vision must be as follows :— 
__ 1. Vision to be 6/6 in each eye without glasses. 
-2.- The total error of refraction not to exceed 1 d, and of this 
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