Prossor (H. F.) Lecture on the therapeutic value of colour in neurasthenia. Caxtors Hall,May 31, 191?. Lecture on the therapeutic value of colour in Neurasthenia by Howard Kemp Frossor, D. Chrom., P. R. C. I., M. S. P. Chairman, Sir Robert Armstrong Jones Kt., M. D., P. R. C. S., etc., given at Caxton Hall, May HI, 1919. LECTURE given at the Caxton the Therapeutic value of colour in Neurasthenia by HOWARD KEMP PR0330R, D. Ghrom., F.R.C.I., M.S.P. Chairman, Sir Robert Armstrong Jones Kt., M.D., P.R.C.S., etc. Mr. President and Gentlemen, It gives me much pleasure to address you on the subject of the thera- peutic value of colour which I have been studying for some years. It was in my studio in Chester Square in 1912 that I brought forward what I considered to be an important matter, namely, the therapeutic value of co- lour. At the outset, I considered it -would be wise to draw people’s attention to the fact that temperament could, undoubtedly, be altered by the use of colour. This was essentially necessary in the case of the mor- bid and unhappy. I was then at work on a day and nighl nursery, which was exhibited at 1he Ideal Home Exhibi- tion in October, 1912, as I felt it was in the nursery that the start should be made. Some of the Liverpool doctors were, according to the paper, more amused than impressed with my theories. One replied, through a paper, that "It was well known that one’s spirits were affected by one's surroundings, and that everyone had heard of a cheerful or a depressing room, and it was always desirable to avoid the latter.” He would not, however, express an opinion in regard to the colour scheme, and that was but natural, because anyone would have to see the results in a room before being able to Judge the effect. We must not expect to accomplish too much at once. All innovations are only developed by degrees. Let us be willing at present to see how we can revolutionise temperament and make people merry and bright instead of morbid and unhappy. Do you not think it possible to alter tempera- ment by colour? And cure nerves by colour treat- ment? In southern countries the houses and streets are gay with vivid colours, which re-act on the people. I certainly think that in a gray country like ours we should think far more of this than we do, especially from the therapeutic point of view. Much has been written lately on the question of colour. Most people have considered it from the decorative point of view, and not from the most im- portant of all, the curative. Colour, like music, has a great effect upon our nerves in the treatment of shell-shock and neurasthenia it plays an import- ant part. To many people blue, pink, and various other colours are merely names given to them, but do not convey any meaning of health except as being vaguely described “restful to the eye.” I can mention three ways in which colour can be treated. First, and by far the easiest, through the use of different tones of one colour. Secondly, by the use of complimentary colours, or those which lie opposite each other. Thirdly, by the use of colours lying next to each other. The first method is the most simple. The second which is that of the colours lying opposite each other in the Spectrum is more diffi- cult and unless worked cut on a scientific basis discord can easily arise. The third and most difficult is that of taking all the colours lying next to each other in order to arrive at complete harmony. If, for instance, one end is taken the result would be too cold, if the other too hot. In hospitals colours should be used, which sug- gest to the mind "Spring", the time of life d re- cuperation . It may be interesting, to know that the following colours have proved beneficial in cases of neuras- thenia: (1) Sunlight yellow, (2) Sunlight primrose, (3) Firmament blue, Spring green, (5) Anemone mauve, (6i blossom pink. People do not fully realise the effects of co- lour. It is not only to a sensation of the nerves of the eye, or to the association of ideas that red owes its exciting effect, but to its essential na- ture, It is the red rays which have a remarkable action in quickening the red cells of the blood, thus enabling the blood stream to clear away poisonous acids and other obstructions. Blue at the other end of the Spectrum is magne- tic end soothing. It also draws together and helps concentration. Green and yellow are the intermediate tones, violet is a powerful curative. I tiiink you will agree with me when 1 say that one of the saddest sights as the outcome of the terrible war are the men suffering from and neurasthenia, far sadder in many oases than those who have lost their limbs . I1 or, as one of our eminent doctors remarks, and from observation I do not think otherwise, neurasthenia creates fear in the man's mind. This being the case we must get help from colours which will generate in the patient's mind strength and courage, and therefore it is necessary to use strong mental and physical colouring for the wards in which these patients are placed. In cases of neurasthenia the trouble is largely caused by the mind acting on the body, and the first idea in connection with a hospital ward should be to surround the patient with colours which suggest life. This can be done by the use of yellow which is the seat of light, and suggestive of sunlight, blue, vibrations of the firmament; and blue and yellow blended, producing green, the leaf of the early bud. How we come to the most important part of all, and that is the proportion of colour. This is no new theory - was it not Aristotle who said: "Colours may mutually relate like musical concords for their pleasantest arrangement, like those concords, mutu- ally proportionate?" When a doctor gives a pre- scription, it is the proportion of each drug which he considers. In dealing with colour the same practice should be observed. Lighting, the size and position of rooms and wards must be considered in order to arrive at the right colour proportions. It is, therefore, necessary to impress upon people that to understand colour treatment a knowledge of line and space is essential. A blue ceiling I have found beneficial in all cases, for it helps the patient to concen- trate. It also gives him the sense of space, and combined with the sunlight yellow of the walls, does away with the feeling of confinement between them. The dread of a confined space is general, e- specially among aviators, some of whom have met with accidents in the air. Blue is soothing, especially in combination with violet. Yellow is a strong men- tal and stimulating colour, acting through retina of the eye affecting both mind and body. Sunlight plays a most important part from the curative point of view not only on ourselves but on the vegetable world, for as Colonel Rawson said in a lecture given before the Royal Horticultural Society on disease in potatoes: "There has been too little sun, perhaps, to avert the disease. Perhaps we our- selves shake off disease by taking sun baths and would do so more rapidly if these were adjusted to our particular constitution as well as to our special complaint," Therefore, when sunlight cannot be ob- tained from windows or top light, it must be artifi- cially produced by the aid of yellow - yellow being the seat of light* The combination of blue and violet has been found beneficial for nerves, especially in the cases of insomnia, where sleep is induced by the aid of these colours rather than drugs, having the advan- tage over the latter in that the patient on awaking finds that his mental system is not clouded. Proof was given me in the case of an officer, who informed the surgeon visiting the hospital that the first night he'slept in a room coloured as I have described, he did so without drugs. An interesting fact to note, also, is that pa- tients using the curative wards choose the colours used in them for any needlework they may be doing in preference to the correct colours in the badges of their regiments, which proves that these men are ab- sorbing the colour vibrations, consciously, sub-con- sciously, or unconsciously. Those who have studied colour in connection with shell-shock and neurasthenia must look at it from the mental as well as the physical side, neutral grey is advocated by some, meaning indifferent grey; by using this, however, we are making the mind and body unable to take part in the contest with others. In cases of neurasthenia a result the very re- verse of this is required. It is far too often the want of colour that makes the neurasthenic neutral and languid. Strong mental and physical colours* such as yellow, blue, and sometimes red, are necessary. Headaches and insomnia can be dealt with by the use of blues, violets and mauves. In neurasthenia, however, I think red is un- necessary except in a combination with blue, producing purple, a method which is not so violent* We speak of black and white, it should be white and black, seventy-five per cent, of the former to twenty-five per cent, of the latter. In hospitals I do not consider black should be used, but it is some- times desirable in rooms, for its use does not ne- cessarily produce a funereal aspect, on the contrary, it serves as a most useful background for colours therapeutically applied. I have found, in most cases, that people who dislike the rays of the sun are those who dislike the use of yellow. It is, therefore, desirable to treat such people in the same way as one treats children, namely, by using the smallest quantity and lowest tone to begin with, and gradually increasing the dose. For some months I had patients suffering from neurasthenia working on my colour scheme, in colour decoration of the wards, and it was interesting to observe the effect on the men as they worked in the rooms. In some cases the blue and mauve have been beneficial, in others the green and yellow. The men working have told me of the beneficial results to themselves, more especially as regards insomnia. A- gain I find patients who work in yellow are those who desire it from the mental side, because they are fit physically and athletically. Though the dropping of an electric globe will cause them to tremble and the sweat to run down their faces, such men will mount high steps and jump from one table to another without the slightest feeling of giddiness or fatigue. In the case of one of my best workers the yellow stimulated his nerves and made him forget his self- centred concentration; on ceasing work his mind re- laxed, and he slept. In cases of the mentally strong but physically unfit, I have found mauve to be the most beneficial colour. It is a powerful curative as well as a mental sedative. In combined proportions with blue these two colours are very helpful in treating nervous headaches. I have observed that, in most cases, a greater amount of work can be got through if yellow is used rather than mauve and blue. Green, again, is a colour which can be worked on for some time,but the energy of the worker is not so evident as that of the one who works in yellow. Speaking generally, and generalisation is hp on observation, all hospital recreation rooms should certainly contain a proportionate amount of yellow, green and blue, while rooms, if single ones, should vary according to the symptoms shown by the patient. A number of people will tell you that the 004.ours which we desire are the ones that should be given to us. With this I disagree. If this were carried out the neurasthenic patient would surround himself, in most cases, with sedatives on the lowest scale, be- cause such a patient has a desire for self-concentra- tion, which is usually morbid, the idea being that his Drain and body can no longer stand any mental or physical fatigue (this sympton is clearly perceptible after working in general rather than mental hospitals In the former, although the patients may have lost their limbs, their vitality and sense of enjoyment are intense; in the latter the atmosphere is often one of depression). It is not advisable to put jn any sleeping room where the mental worker is normal any extremes of stimulating or sedative colour. i?or such people, the yellows, greens and blues should be in modified gra- dations, but even with them the blue ceiling is re- quired, because it helps concentration. ■Ye must in all cases Rive attention to the physi- cal and mental environment, and it is, of course* much easier to cure a patient who is responsive to colour than one who is prejudiced against it. I think that we shall progress in the scientific knowledge of colour if we study it first in relation to nerve and blood trouble. Let us &ow sceak a little on the colours which have been used so far with beneficial results. First we will take:- Kemp Prossor Firmament Blue for ceilings. This blue is magnetic and astringent. It is also soothing, e- specially in cases of nerve trouble. Blue also, as I have said, helps us to concentrate. From the men- tal side it is recuperative in its effect. Kemp Prossor Sunlight Yellow is a strong mental stimulant, often disliked at first on account of its brilliancy, but tests have proved that, after a time, most pati- ents find it beneficial. Kemp Prossor Sunlight Primrose is less brilliant than the last named, but is often used in conjunction with it. This also is a stimulant. Kemp Prossor Spring Green is a combination of purest blue and yellow, producing by proportion the green of the early spring bud. It is a mental sedative. Kemp Prossor Anemone Mauve is a mental sedative and is used in conjunction with Firmament Blue in cases of insomnia and nervous headache. Violet is a powerful chemical curative and its use is of- ten desirable for curtains as it excludes heat. Cardinal Red may be used in extreme cases of mental de- pression where red is desirable to increase the acti- vity of the blood. Kemp Prossor Apple-Blossom Pink is a mental recuperative. Pink hitherto has always been regarded as a feminine colour, but experience has proved that it is required by the most normal of both sexes. Physiologically, I cannot discover the reason, but even a well known mental specialist and many normal people have ex- pressed the desire for pink. That the nervous system is very definitely af- fected by colour I am confident, and colour is certainly a most important curative agent in deal- ing with neurasthenia* The result of its treatment depends on the right combination of the different colours, rather than on the predominance of one colour or tone, and the proportion of tones and co- lour must depend on the nature and nervous disorder which is being treated. We are too apt to go to extremes in colours, either prescribing a scale of physical stimulants, such as orange and red, or seda- tives, such as blue, green and brown. While on this subject the following may interest some of my audience. It appeared in a paper on photo- graphy: "The designer of the colour scheme, Mr.Kemp Prossor, aims at securing an open air effect, re- moving all idea of restraint and reproducing as near- ly as possible the tints of the early spring land- scape. In one of his communications, Mr.Prossor makes a remark which should be of interest to photo- graphers, who, as is well known, are usually peaceful folk in spite of their long sojourn in a ruby light, 1 for he tells us that red is the colour of blood, in- citing to rage and murder, while brown is the colour of death and decay. Perhaps after all he is right, and the sepia platinum or bromides have the depress- ing effects necessary after a few hours in a ruby light. H We must use clear, clean, rich mental and physi- cal colours, especially in dealing with the mental depression characteristic of the neurasthenic. Those colours which represent physical and mental power, because the war has drawn on these powers and created a tendency to weakness and inefficiency, A recupera— tive stimulus must also be given. This stimulus is found in certain colours. The way in which colour can be used as a stimulant or a sedative has proved a very interesting study. Yellow will stimulate without exciting, and in conjunction with violet is beneficial in cases of depression, the one colour being the complement of the other. In cases where I have been unable to use violet I have substituted the colours which make it, namely, blue and crimson. Colour we must- remember is contained in ingre- dients of drugs, the yellow by gamboge, green by florisine, blue by methelin, and so on. When we mentally lose colour we gradually be- come negative and this is the case with most neuras- thenics. Has it ever occurred to my audience how much more the ITorth demands colour than the South where sun is more frequent. While on this matter, I may mention that 75 per cent, of the letters of enquiry on colour matters have come from the ITorth. Who can say what is shadow and what is substance here below. Kant will tell you that nothing exists save as an idea in our minds. If this is so, then colour even used theoreti- cally or symbol!cally should be a strong factor in the cure by suggestion in neurasthenia and nervous disorders, but as the science of colour progresses greater proof will be given. One of our aims must be to understand, and only to feel colour, and in colour therapeutics to study it in relation to life concentrating on na- ture’s colours, and also understanding the control of colour stimulants and sedatives in the same way as these are understood in the use of drugs. A table of contrasts of Light waves and wave lengths, and vibration frequencies of colour has been prepared by Rood Thompson, Remembering that Light is said to travel 186,300 miles per second, the fol- lowing is the order of colour vibration frequency, ultra red, red, orange red, orange, orange yellow, yellow, green, blue green, cyan-blue, blue, violet blue', violet, ultra violet, therefore it will be seen that the lowest is ulk-red, and the highest ulk-violet. Light is not the only medium of vibration, everything is under this law, and each wave of vibra- tion produces a definite effect somewhere. The law of vibration regulates the universe, and colour is the result of various speeds of it. While mentioning this, I may say that an enquiry I had from a well known Manchester doctor was whether I had published anything on similar lines of my hos- pital colouring for decoration of rest rooms in works where employees and especially women go for longer or shorter intervals of rest after work re- quiring considerable mental application, namely, measuring parts of instruments to l/lOCC inch, and with neurometer Verniers, and other similar attention compelling occupations. Here is a big matter, and one that will be considered I am sure later, but I feel it largely depends on colour vibrations before the question can be answered. Several cures have been reported from the Hos- pitals where I worked during the last three years, I should like to read an extract from a report and one which is of interest. 1. A patient diagnosed as ’’hysteria” was put into the purple side room. In two days he became hope- lessly depressed and was removed to Ward A, where he recovered. 3. A patient with neurasthenia was put into a purple room suffering from headaches, and he stated that his headaches had been cured. 3, Two patients who were placed in Ward A,(Yellow] declared that they would go mad if they were left there. After two days this attitude of mind changed to acquiescence with their surroundings. 4. A young officer who had been unable to sleep for many nights unless with the help of sedative drugs, was placed in a room in which violet pre- dominated, He slept soundly all night without any drugs. 5. The patients who occupy beds in the pink room (C,) shew a tendency to sit there rather than in the other rooms. There has been less crime ( in a Military sense)] in Ward 4 than in any other ward. This is a fact of importance and needs further trial and investi- gation, as it appears to be a strong point in fa- vour of the colour scheme. This is specially in- teresting to me in view of the fact that it was in Chester Square in 1913 that the matter was suggested by me that benefit might be derived by using co- lours in prisons. Sometimes it is necessary to use pure colours, | because they do not contain certain pigments of rays of other colours, they may be crude but they are necessary in treatment by colour, and also in scientific research. The chief colours and tones which are used therapeutically are as follows:- Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet, The vast amount of white used in decorating in many cases is the cause of the bad eyesight of the present day, I noticed that for some time past co- loured glasses have been recommended by oculists. I think the two points in neurasthenia to be studied from the point of view of colour therapeutics are, first, mental despondency, and secondly, physi- cal inefficiency, therefore it is necessary to look to colours which aid in curing these and will be found in the mental and physical stimulants and seda- tives, as I have explained in my lecture. In the Re- construction Bill which is being brought forward on the Housing question I sincerely hope that provision will be made for the men who will return to their homes suffering from neurasthenia and nervous disor- ders, and that the value of colour used therapeuti- cally will be considered in this connection. The Union of South Africa has interested itself in the scheme so much that they have written to the War Of- fice for particulars for the purpose of experimenting in the Mental Hospitals out there. Is it asking too much of this country to see that a national move is made in this direction by those who are seriously interested in colour treatment? I am aware that spasmodic attempts have been made from time to time, mixed up, I regret to say, with charlatanism which, fortunately, can be observed at once. I think we shall progress in the knowledge of Colour Therapeutics if we study the following points: Firstly: the use of Colours as they appear in the Spectrum. Secondly: the knowledge of each Colour Vibra- tion and its wave lengths. Thirdly: the numerical standardisation of colour. The last named is most important, for colours are often called by their wrong names. If the science of Colour is to progress., it must be through the scientific knowledge of relation to proportion and vibration, and it must be remem- bered that its use and proportion must depend on cli- matic conditions. Green can be used in most climates, anc] can be made either warm or cold by proportion of mixing the blue and yellow” depending on which end of the Spectrum you take. There is one point which I have omitted and that is the medium through which the light comes. This is an important factor in all cases, more e- spedally in the case of Neurasthenia. Curtains have open used with beneficial results in most hos- pitals treated by me. The Method is simple. Each curtain is hung on an independent rod, and the co- loured one desired can be used for the patient. I will not detain you longer, though there are many other points to be considered, and thank you for your attention* The following is a brief description of Ward 4 and serves to illustrate the whole scheme* The ward consists of three rooms. Room A. is decorated with a ceiling of sky-blue, with yellow walls (the so- called "sunlight" yellow). The bed covers and locker curtains are green. It has blue flower vases and screen covers. The whole scheme of decoration is intended to represent spring, the yellow being said to be stimulating. Room B: the ceiling is blue, the walls yellow, the bed-covers and locker curtains are purple, and the screen covers are blue. This also is intended to be stimulating. Room C: the ceiling is blue, the walls are coloured, the upper part pink with a+yellow dado, A narrow green line divides these colours. It has blue bed and screen covers. This scheme is intended to assist concentration. There are three chief side rooms: (1) Yellow and green, stimulating effect; (2) Purple and blue, sooth ing effect; (3) Yellow and blue, stimulating effect. The corridor is yellow and green.