Someone told me recently about an island where a large fraction of the inhabitants were colorblind.  Then, very fortuitously, I encountered a book by Oliver Sacks, The Island of the Colorblind, in my local library.  That was serendipitous — I was looking for books on snow crystals — and illustrates the merits of browsing library shelves instead of requesting and obtaining just particular books already identified.

Sacks will be familiar to may as the author of other popular books.  This was my first encounter with him.  He is worth reading.

Sack’s book is really a pair of extended journals of his voyages to islands in the Pacific.  The first journal is to the islands of the colorblind, Pingelap and Pohnpei, and the second journal to the islands of Guam and Rota.

It appears that on Pingelap, some 5-6 percent of a population of about 800 people cannot distinguish colors — their eyes lack cones, having only rods.  Pohnpei has a community, about 2000 inhabitants originally from Pingelap, who have similar colorblindness.

Colorblind Pingelapians have a compensating awareness of pattern, and a greater sensitivity to low light levels.  Night fishing is easier, for instance.

Best wishes,

Ken Roberts

30-Nov-2015