The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-03-23
Information.
The Chignon Pa mic.

Il.
sects alleged to have been made in FASHIONABLE
chi:,nons--or waterfalls, and which insects, tn
Lancet declared, abounded in nearly every wa
terfall upon the heads of fashionable bellies. TIL,
following has since appeared in the London Tele
graph it processes to be the description of an act
ual experiment.
81 purchased at fashionable hair-dressers a
chirnOn eft very elaborate appearance, and sub.
mitted part of ii to examination under power.
full microscope. From the mass of hair compos-
ing the chignon | selected for experiment about
one hundred and fifty hairs, and commenced by
casefully cleansing them from grease and other
impurities in a tepid solution of potash and dry
ing them i'll a current of heated air. Upon sub
hitting them to examination by moderate
power, | found the hair, which was of dark
brown color and fine texture, perfectly clean and
free from any parasitical appendage, until with
III half an inch of what was evidently the natur-
al end of the hair; when multitude of small,
dark knobs or protuberanccs on the outer cortical
were visible. Upon carefully dctaching some of
these, and placing them on an object-glass under
much higher power, it was Immediately evil
dent that they were innumerabe specimens of the
so-called gregarines
GAS nearly as / could estimate half an inch of
single hair would yield over thousand of these
disgusting epizoa in their embryo condition, and
enveloped in glutinous substance Having thus
satisfied myself of their existence, / next pro-
ceeded to ascertain if they where possessed of
vitality 1t is well known that gentle and con-
tinued heat affords the most favorable conditions
for the development of this class of insect life
therefore placed about dozen ends of the hair
between two pieces of felt slightly oiled, and
submitted it to Il moist heat of one hundred and
twenty degrees for six hours and also bound up
on the neck OF common hen-a convenient place
having been carefully shaved for the purpose-a
number OF har-ends, and placed the bird in front
of the stove for about the same time
AT the end OF this period the gregarines which
had been placed in felt were carefully examined
They had undergone great development, and
more than a score showed unmistakable signs of
life. But on removing the hairs from the neck
OF the hen and placing them under the micro
scope, most extraordinary change in the ova
appeared to have taken place. The hairs were
swarming with the released epizoa nearly all in
deed were more or less detached from the envel-
ope, and presented many of the unnistakablc
pecullaritics of the pediculus humani capiti1E
In many the mouth was furnished with prob6s-
Gus the antenn@, as long as the thorax. and the
depressed segments of the abdomen were clearly
visible.
ut was abundantly evident that no process to
which the hair has as yet been submitted had
even impaired, much less destroyed, the vitality
or the gregarines. | can.ot venture to trespass
upon Your space by giving detailed account of
the experiments made to ascertain how this Wit |
ailty could be destroyed suffice it is to say that
sleeping III boiling water and exposure to dry |
neat OF 500 degrees Fahrenheit, totally failed to
do So The compound others, benzole, and the
ol-chorde OF mercury, destroyed them complete
~ as also some Of the mineral acids but most |
OF these would of course render the hair worth |
less to the chignon-maker, the beauty of its ap- |
pearance being entirely destroyed. | regard |
these experiments as fully demonstrating the fact
that many ladies are wearing, perfectly unsus-
pected, upon their heads the germs of an insect |
NE winch may ut any moment spring into Wit |
ality that would prove distressing beyond meas
ure, and be by no means easy to eradicate these
horrible insects multiplying with almost incon-
ccivablc rapidity and their generation being
governed by no wel-ascertaned law"
\ writer in the London Review quotes the
story we have copied above. and derides it re-
marking thus:
The gregarines are possibly not animals at
ALL and may be "a comparatively harmless, though |
disgusting vegetable formation. They are not
'epizoa," and they never develop into pediculi- |
In fact, pelculi are never found in dead hair
Then, again, artificial hair for the most part,
comes from France and Germany, and not from
the filthy Burlakes." However, we need not
dwell on this part of the subject. What the
ladies will say on the matter, it is not easy to
conjecture 1t is not improbable that they will
stick to the chignons through good and evil re-
port They are not deferred by trtes from what
they have once taken fancy to- and if YOU want
to confirm women III her attachment to any
thing you have only to abuse it : if she only had
slight regard for it before she will then love it
with positive enthusiasm which might be ms
taken for obstnacy, but which is simply touch
OF genuine female nature
English ladies are glorious martyrs to CUSTOM
and have often before stood boldly up against the
innovations of science If they once take it into
their heads that chgnons will aid them in pro-
curing husbands, the imaginary gregarnes will
be regarded as nothing Chignons are classic and
Partisan. Chignons derive certain charm of in.
nocent naughtineSs from their very origin: CHG
mons enable ladies to appear equality with
each other, whether Nature has been scanty or
profuse to them The chignon is another weapon
added to the captivating armory. Between dyes
and chignon, pads and puffs, the figure and face
Will be irresistibly prepared for conquest"
''Ihe fact that eighteen communications on
the subject, occupying nearly two columns. were
published in the London Telegraph of the 22nd
ult shows at once how great an excitement the
chlgnon expose has created there We reproduce
several OF the communications. Their substance
Is highly sensational but they have every mark
OF candor and sincerity:
80 the Editor of the Daily Telegraph:
Sir don't pretend to be a naturalist,
neither am | much given to inquire into the ma
turc and causes Of things through the media of
microscopes and artificial heat, but this I'll tell
YOU as fact that since the introduction of these
chignons by my daughters have been thorough
~ annoyed all over the house with visitors whose
appearance | can ascribe to no other cause lam
not attempting to use fine language in this mat
ter but hope by employing that which NAV be
understood to do away with this msightly and