COLOR POISONING.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 208, 30 March 1877, Page 3

COLOR POISONING.

A belief in color poisoning by means of green dresses and green wall-papers has already been forced upon the public by some tolerably conclusive evidence; but it seems thab the mischievous propensities of this color are far from being yet fully exposed. A French savant, M. Paul Bert, has just exhibited against it articles of impeachment of the gravest character, supported by reports of a whole series of startling experiments. If his theory is true, it is not only the arsenic used in producing the color which, does the injury, but the actual color itself ; and a mere ray of green light i 3 capable of affecting the health of the person exposed to it, apart from all aid afforded to it by the smell or presence of arsenic. To demonstrate this alleged fact, M. Bart has submitted several specimens of the sensitive plant to rays of different coloi'3 tluowj. upon th.sin through stained glass, and in every case those which were treated to the most brilliant green light withered and diel in the shortest time. In those plants which were exposed to a red light a peculiar phenomenon was observed ; the tips or spiices of tho leaves prolonged themselves an J grew forward in a lean an I hungry fashion horizontally with the branch from which thoy sprang ; while in a blue light a contrary effect was produced, the spikes standing out abruptly and prependicularly froai their stein. On one of the plants being enclosed in a sort of I intern, h ivinj red glass on one side and green on the other, instead of shrinking away from the poison on their right to the roseate antidote on tluir left, the leaves, as if by a fatal fascination, turajd with one caveat thj other way, and literally looked death in the face.