BIOMAT Database Logo BIOMAT Database Logo

The chemistry of John Dalton's color blindness. 1995

D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of London, UK.

John Dalton described his own color blindness in 1794. In common with his brother, he confused scarlet with green and pink with blue. Dalton supposed that his vitreous humor was tinted blue, selectively absorbing longer wavelengths. He instructed that his eyes should be examined after his death, but the examination revealed that the humors were perfectly clear. In experiments presented here, DNA extracted from his preserved eye tissue showed that Dalton was a deuteranope, lacking the middlewave photopigment of the retina. This diagnosis is shown to be compatible with the historical record of his phenotype, although it contradicts Thomas Young's belief that Dalton was a protanope.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008969 Molecular Sequence Data Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories. Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D010641 Phenotype The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes, and between the GENOTYPE and the environment. Phenotypes
D012160 Retina The ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. It is continuous with the OPTIC NERVE and receives images of external objects and transmits visual impulses to the brain. Its outer surface is in contact with the CHOROID and the inner surface with the VITREOUS BODY. The outer-most layer is pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent. Ora Serrata
D002621 Chemistry A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D003117 Color Vision Defects Defects of color vision are mainly hereditary traits but can be secondary to acquired or developmental abnormalities in the CONES (RETINA). Severity of hereditary defects of color vision depends on the degree of mutation of the ROD OPSINS genes (on X CHROMOSOME and CHROMOSOME 3) that code the photopigments for red, green and blue. Achromatopsia,Color Blindness,Monochromatopsia,Color Blindness, Acquired,Color Blindness, Blue,Color Blindness, Green,Color Blindness, Inherited,Color Blindness, Red,Color Blindness, Red-Green,Color Vision Deficiency,Deutan Defect,Protan Defect,Tritan Defect,Achromatopsias,Acquired Color Blindness,Blindness, Color,Blue Color Blindness,Color Blindness, Red Green,Color Vision Defect,Color Vision Deficiencies,Defect, Color Vision,Defect, Deutan,Defects, Color Vision,Deficiencies, Color Vision,Deficiency, Color Vision,Green Color Blindness,Inherited Color Blindness,Red Color Blindness,Red-Green Color Blindness,Vision Defect, Color,Vision Defects, Color,Vision Deficiencies, Color,Vision Deficiency, Color
D004739 England A part of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001483 Base Sequence The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence. DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D016133 Polymerase Chain Reaction In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships. Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain

Related Publications

D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
John Dalton's discovery of his colour blindness.
February 1977, Applied optics,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
John Dalton's autopsy.
April 1957, Journal of the history of medicine and allied sciences,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
The blindness of John Milton.
April 1993, Mayo Clinic proceedings,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
The blindness of John Milton.
January 1995, Documenta ophthalmologica. Advances in ophthalmology,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
John Dalton's "Aha" Moment: the Origin of the Chemical Atomic Theory.
February 2021, Ambix,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
[The color blindness].
June 1949, Revista brasileira de oftalmologia,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
Color Blindness.
June 1881, Buffalo medical and surgical journal,
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
Color-Blindness.
January 1889, Science (New York, N.Y.),
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
COLOR-BLINDNESS.
January 1889, Science (New York, N.Y.),
D M Hunt, and K S Dulai, and J K Bowmaker, and J D Mollon
Color-Blindness.
October 1887, Science (New York, N.Y.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!