Shinobu Ishihara
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese ophthalmologist who created the Ishihara color test
to detect colour blindness.
, serving mainly as a surgeon
. He later changed specialties to ophthalmology
.
In 1908 he returned to the University of Tokyo
where he dedicated himself to ophthalmic research. In 1910 he became an instructor at the Army Medical College
. There, in addition to seeing patients, he conducted research on "battlefield ophthalmology" and how to select superior soldiers.
While working at the Military Medical School he was asked to devise a test to screen military recruits for abnormalities of color vision. His assistant was a color blind physician who helped him test the plates. The first charts were hand painted by Ishihara in water colors using hiragana
symbols.
chart and an apparatus for determining the near point, both still currently in wide use in Japan. He also made significant contributions to the study of trachoma
and myopia
.
In 1908, Dr. Ishihara entered the postgraduate course in ophthalmology at the Imperial University of Tokyo, studying under Prof. Jujiro Komoto. Subsequently, he studied in Germany under Professors Stock, Axenfeld and Hess. Dr. Ishihara was appointed the Professor and Chairman, to succeed Prof. Komoto, at the Ophthalmology Department of The Imperial University of Tokyo in 1922 and served until March 1940.
Dr. Ishihara had always led a very modest life, with no interest in material possessions. He was greatly revered by his students who, after his retirement, built a cottage for him near a hot spring on the Izu Peninsula
. There he served as a country doctor, conducting clinics for his neighbors, asking no payment. As was the custom in those days, the patients left tokens of their gratitude in home-grown produce and small sums of money. After covering his expenses, Dr. Ishihara returned all remaining money to the villagers. These funds were used to build a library and a study room for the village children, a fitting tribute to the highly respected benefactor who came to live in their midst until his death in 1963.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ophthalmologist who created the Ishihara color test
Ishihara color test
The Ishihara Color Test is an example of a color perception test for red-green color deficiencies. It was named after its designer, Dr. Shinobu Ishihara, a professor at the University of Tokyo, who first published his tests in 1917...
to detect colour blindness.
Early life and career
Shinobu graduated from medicine in 1905 on a military scholarship and immediately joined the army as a doctorPhysician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, serving mainly as a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
. He later changed specialties to ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
.
In 1908 he returned to the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
where he dedicated himself to ophthalmic research. In 1910 he became an instructor at the Army Medical College
Army Medical College
Army Medical College, Abid Majeed Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan was established in 1977 and serves as the medical training university of the Pakistan Army. It has been certified by the National University of Sciences and Technology.-History:...
. There, in addition to seeing patients, he conducted research on "battlefield ophthalmology" and how to select superior soldiers.
While working at the Military Medical School he was asked to devise a test to screen military recruits for abnormalities of color vision. His assistant was a color blind physician who helped him test the plates. The first charts were hand painted by Ishihara in water colors using hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
symbols.
Ishihara Color Vision Charts
The name of Dr. Shinobu Ishihara is known worldwide because of The Ishihara Color Vision Charts which he established in 1918. Even today, his test remains the one of choice throughout the world. Less well known are the facts that Dr. Ishihara also developed a Japanese visual acuityVisual acuity
Visual acuity is acuteness or clearness of vision, which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the eye and the sensitivity of the interpretative faculty of the brain....
chart and an apparatus for determining the near point, both still currently in wide use in Japan. He also made significant contributions to the study of trachoma
Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious disease causing a characteristic roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. Also called granular conjunctivitis and Egyptian ophthalmia, it is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world...
and myopia
Myopia
Myopia , "shortsightedness" ) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina under conditions of accommodation. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina but in...
.
In 1908, Dr. Ishihara entered the postgraduate course in ophthalmology at the Imperial University of Tokyo, studying under Prof. Jujiro Komoto. Subsequently, he studied in Germany under Professors Stock, Axenfeld and Hess. Dr. Ishihara was appointed the Professor and Chairman, to succeed Prof. Komoto, at the Ophthalmology Department of The Imperial University of Tokyo in 1922 and served until March 1940.
Dr. Ishihara had always led a very modest life, with no interest in material possessions. He was greatly revered by his students who, after his retirement, built a cottage for him near a hot spring on the Izu Peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
. There he served as a country doctor, conducting clinics for his neighbors, asking no payment. As was the custom in those days, the patients left tokens of their gratitude in home-grown produce and small sums of money. After covering his expenses, Dr. Ishihara returned all remaining money to the villagers. These funds were used to build a library and a study room for the village children, a fitting tribute to the highly respected benefactor who came to live in their midst until his death in 1963.