Augustus James Pleasonton, often called A. J. Pleasonton (January 21, 1808 – July 26, 1894), was a militia general during the American Civil War. He wrote the pseudo-scientific book The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the Sky, which was published in 1876. His book is often attributed to being the birth of contemporary chromotherapy. He was the son of Stephen Pleasonton and elder brother of Civil War-General Alfred Pleasonton.
In his later years, Gen. Pleasonton came to a theory that the blue wavelengths from the sun are inherently unique and that the blue rays from the sun are especially influential in the growth of plant and animal life. He also postulated that blue light was especially significant in the health of humans and helped eradicate disease. This theory is pseudoscientific and was never adopted by mainstream scientists, even in his time, but it is often credited as being the birth of modern chromotherapy. Chromotherapy, also called color therapy is an alternative medicine therapy method which states that certain colors can influence the health of a person.
His basis for his theory was that plants flourished in the spring time and not in the winter, when the sky was less blue. Between the years 1861 and 1876, he tested this theory by establishing greenhouses to grow grapes and ran experiments on plants and animals. His grape experiment consisted of growing grapes in a greenhouse-like building (which was illustrated in the back of his book) where he alternated direct sunlight with filtered blue light. He claimed that this method greatly increased his production of grapes.
He published his theory and experiments in his book, entitled The Influence Of The Blue Ray Of The Sunlight And Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky and the subtitle: In developing animal and vegetable life; in arresting disease, and in restoring health in acute and chronic disorders to human and domestic animals. It is an expansion, including experiments done between 1873 and 1876, of an earlier 24 page monograph On the Influence of the Blue Color of the Sky in developing Animal and Vegetable Life (1871). Wikipedia, Augustus Pleasonton