Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1867-03-30
A CHIGNON HORROR.

a scientific writer iu the London Lancet
having investigated the subject, has demonsira-
ted, by experiment, that IN every chisnon, mol
composed Of the natural HAIR OF the wearer,
there are myriad parasites. Maine gregarious,
which invest ach individual hair. These ln-
sects are invisible, except By microscope test,
but in their substance and nabiGs are more otten-
awe than the famed gray back which N ide Lib
by Prison such den of horror. On every half
inch Of hair are a thousand Of these nexpressi-
bly ds.usting epioza. They "liye, move, and
have their beng in millions upon each hair OF
the chignon; aud when the myriad hairs that
compose these ''adornmen's" arc considered,
the numbers Of the minute and abominab'e ePlo-
IA are Us the sands Of the sea-shore, or as the
stars Of Heaven for multitude" SuhJectea TO
. moderate degree Of heaL,they become instinct
with life, and wander at will among and around
the capillary cells seeking what they may de-
,our.n Each is = psdiulus humani cdpits; as
much so as the denIicle one on which Burns
wrote the ode, when he saw it son the lady s
bonnet" Neither acids, alkaliS, ether, nor $50
degtees Of dry heat kills them. Practically
they are indeStructlble. According 10 the au-
thorlty quoted, IN the conditions Of ballroom
the gTegatinGs ''TeyIvc, grow, and multiply by
dividing into many Parts-called germ glooules;
these fy about the ballroom in Millions get in
hailed, drop on the re(rCshmen's-in fact, enter
TIE interior Of people by hundreds of ways, and
thus reach their SPECIFIC gregarIen develop
ment."
In Russia the hair for them is supplied by the
poorer people especially peasant women OF the
Mordwines and the Burlakes, near the Noiga,
who do a large trade in il. "When the Burake
goes out to work in the spring, he perhaps puts
a clean shirt on. but he decidedly never takes IL
of until he returns home in autumn" verify
heIe is a fine chance for parasites.
A learned professor in London has actually
practically tested and demonstrated the vitality
of these parasites. Six hairs Of chlgnoD, sub
iected to 100 degrees Of heat, and placed around
the neck of a hen, which had been clean shaved
for the purpose, he placed the bird in front Of
stove for short time. He tells the result as
follows:
At the end of thi, period the "gregarills''
which had been placed in felt were carefully
examined. They had undergone great develop
ment and more than a score showed unmistaka-
BILE signs Of life. But on removing the hairs
from The neck Of the hen aud placing them un-
der the microscope, most extraordinary change
in the oval appeared 10 have taken place. The
hairs were swarming with the released epfoza /;
nearly all, indeed. were more or less detached
from the envelope, and presented many OF the
unmistakable peculiarities Of the ''psdiculus hu-
mani capitis" In many the mouth was furnish
ed with probocis, the antenne as long as the
ihorax, and the depressed segments OF the aodo-
men were clearly visible. II was abundantly
evident that no process to which The hair had as
yet been submitted had even impaired, much
less destroyed, the vitality of the ''gresarines" p"
The horrible facts of the above investigation
are of extreme concern 10 the ladies, who have
20 numerously adopted the habit Of wearing
these purchased chignons, and many will hesi-
tate longer TO carry upon their heads load of
disgusting parasites, whose origin is only less
appalling than their immense number, their un-
limited power Of reproduction eir easy AVA
ken!ng from 6,crnancy to activhN, and their Sc
.c'ity frosc detection or destruction. Let the
dies ponder. .. f-s't