Resumo de Physiology Of Vision

Book Review--Physiology of Vision
Book Title: Physiology of Vision
Author: Sir C. V. Raman
Publisher's Name: Indian Academy of Sciences, Banglore

Review

When I started reading about the great Indian scientist C. V. Raman, whose original name was Chandershekhar Venkatraman, I was amused by the strong character and the personality that he had possessed! One of the best persons that lived before India achieved independence, and one of the very few who contributed in various and sometimes widely-apart fields of the life. When I was going through the Raman effect and the details of the experiments that he made, I was always awed by the strangeness of his mind?the colours and the light captivated his mind and he shifted his energies to these topic, though he was grossly engaged in sound and musical instruments. This is where I was struck by the idea that why he never had some research work in eyes and the related fields. To my utter amazement, I found that he had actually written a Book on the topic of eyes?this is where I was jubilant, for, I thought that I would get what I wanted, as I was also very much interested in the eyes at that time. It is like Rabindranath Thakur (Tagore), who in his last 13 years, produced around 3,000 painting of his own, though he never painted in his whole earlier life. Sir Raman produced one of those rare experiments in the field of eyes that he never cared for; for, it was the sounds and the light that occupied his vast mind, which virtually could accommodate more than one thing at a time!

The book has 24 chapters in all and in the very first chapter, Sir Raman questions the authenticity of the most prized theory in the field of eyes?the trichromatic theory of colours. Sir Raman has ventured into almost all the topics related to the eyes supporting his remarks with the carefully observed experiments that he conducted over the years; but in the chapter 13, Vision in dim light, he comes to the point, which I was searching for. He talks about the eyes being dazzled by light and the consequent inability of eyes to perceive the light for a considerable period of time, which is very important for ship navigation and night driving of planes and vehicles. I was most ecstatic to find out that my own findings coincide with his remarks and that I was on the right lines, though I also come from a different background.

The book has not received any curious eye and is not that popular, but I can say that this is one of those books that I would cherish forever, as it proved that I was moving on the right lines. There are some startling facts made by Sir Raman, and the world of people related to the field of eyes would perhaps never accept that, as they perhaps would never come across this book. The main reason is that Sir Raman was a physicist and those people do not believe that a physicist could write on their own field with such authority. Hats off and off to the genius of Sir Raman, who conducted himself in such a manner that could have been the ideal of every young man, who is pursuing science and want to do something in his life.

The book is true gem and should be made known to the world, for, it has something that is perhaps unconventional and challenging in its content, but certainly has many things to tell to the world of people who have something to do with the field of eyes!

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