Report of the Committee on Colon?'- Vision. 297 



before the Committee, several people, whom Holmgren's test had 

 proved to be colour-blind, passed this lantern test, a fact sufficient 

 to show that it is unsafe to trust to it. But besides this uncertainty 

 as to the rejection of the colour-blind, it appears to the Committee 

 that an injustice may also be done to the candidates by its use. 

 They believe that a perfectly normal-eyed person, who has been 

 educated to observe colours, would not be able to speak positively 

 as to the precise names of the colours of some of these 

 glasses when illuminated by lamp-light. Less educated 

 candidates would be much more liable to make mistakes in these 

 puzzling tints (which the Committee consider have neither use 

 nor significance), and, from sheer confusion, to misname those 

 colours which are the only real tests, and thus to fail to pass the 

 examination. The only safeguard to a candidate thus rejected 

 lies in the fact that he can be re-examined, and that more than 

 once. Cases have been brought before the Committee's notice 

 where a candidate who has failed at first has passed in a subse- 

 quent examination. If the test for colour-blindness used by the 

 Board of Trade were fair to the candidate, and perfectly efficient, 

 such a re-examination would be unnecessary, and passing upon re- 

 examination would be impossible. 



The evidence given by representatives of various railway Eailway corn- 

 companies shows that very few have any adequate system of parries' tests, 

 testing. Nearly all the methods employed are defective, and even 

 where the wool-test is applied it usually breaks down from a choice 

 of improper colours, both for standards and comparisons. In some 

 instances, a person, whom the Committee know to have very 

 defective colour-vision, has been passed in their presence by 

 railway examiners as possessing normal eyesight, and the im- 

 pression made on the Committee is that many have probably been 

 passed into the service who should most certainly have been 

 excluded. 



The Committee have had the opportunity of examining the Tests in the 

 different tests carried out by the Royal Navy, and are glad to Royal Nayy. 

 find that they are most efficient, and of such a nature that it 

 may be presumed that no one can pass them who is sufficiently 

 defective in colour-vision to be any source of danger. The 

 long periods over which the examination lasts, however, pre- 

 cludes the adoption in their entirety of these tests used for 

 railways or the mercantile marine. The sealed pattern glasses 

 for signals are excellent, and, as already stated, the Committee 

 would suggest their adoption as the universal signal colours. 



The Committee are of opinion that the teats for colour- Tests for 

 blindness should be of such a character that they will readily colour- 

 determine- whether a man is or is not colour-blind, but that, except bhndness. 

 for scientific purposes, it is not necessary that they should 

 indicate what kind of mistakes he is likely to make. The fact 

 that a person is found to be colour-blind by an efficient test, 

 properly applied, is amply sufficient to show that his employment 

 in certain occupations is a danger to the public. We lay some 



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