COLOUR SCHEMES FOR SHATTERED NERVES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 299, 15 December 1917, Page 14

COLOUR SCHEMES FOR SHATTERED NERVES.

Our London correspondent sends an interesting account of the McCaui Hospital in Welbeek Street, where wounded officers suffering from shattered nerves are undergoing a really interesting experiment. It seems that the authorities there have given permission to Mr. iieinp Prossor, a well-known believer in the effect of colour on the mind, to carry out certain schemes in what is now known as the "colour ward."

Mr. Kemp Prossor has a. theory that any sufferer from shattered nerves must derive real benefit from surroundings which soothe his weary eyes, and perhaps his tired mind. But he does not believe in any crude effects that might act as a shock rather, than a tonic to the nerves. The idea is to bring the tints of sky,.green fields and sunshine ii_»J the ward, and so take the sufferer right into'the heart of nature. When you enter the ward you get a sense of a delightful harmony .of .colours that really rest the nerves straight away. Imagine the ceiling painted in the tones of a Xew Zealand sky, a perfectly exquisite shade,.and this lovely blue extends over the walls, giving the effect of a dome. Soft golden sunshine tints meet this blue sky on the rest of the walls, united b\ r a border line of > green. At once we get the cheering effect of nature's blues, green and yellow, and almost unconsciously our spirits are cheered. Looking down on the floor, we see a tone of lime green with a strong; suggestion of yellow used for the floor covering. Now comes the contrast at the windows in the colour of the curtains of blue and viole linen, arranged on movable rods. The w.ndow seat is covered in violet linen, aud cushions carry out the tones of green, blue, and yellow. Blue is chosen for the covers on the beds, and the lockers are painted in the same tone, and are finished with glass tops. This blue harmonises with the lovely colour of the delphiniums that fill the yellow vases, and mauve is seen in some beautiful orchids on the mantelpiece. All the colour schemes are so harmoniously blended that the nerves must surely be vefreshed, and I _aye no doubt that heaps, of women;will try to carry out this idea m. their decorations for the rooms **___...„, to be .used in their own bouses for nursing those who may return to them-with shattered nerves. Wu