Berryman, J. (2016) The colour treatment: a convergence of art and medicine at the Red Cross Russell Lea Nerve Home. Health and History, 18(1), pp. 5-21. (doi: 10.5401/healthhist.18.1.0005)
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Abstract
When the Red Cross opened its new convalescent home at Russell Lea in Sydney in 1919, it contained a coloured room designed for treating ‘nerve cases’. This room was painted by Roy de Maistre, a young artist, and was modelled on the Kemp Prossor colour scheme trialled at the McCaul Convalescent Hospital in London for the treatment of shell shock. Dubbed the ‘colour cure’ by the popular press, this unconventional treatment was ignored by the Australian medical profession. The story of de Maistre's colour experiment is not widely known outside the specialist field of Australian art history. Focusing on the colour room as a point of convergence between art and medicine in the context of the First World War, this article investigates Red Cross activities and the care of soldiers suffering from nervous conditions.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Berryman, Dr Jim |
| Authors: | Berryman, J. |
| College/School: | College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies |
| Journal Name: | Health and History |
| Publisher: | Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine |
| ISSN: | 1442-1771 |
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