The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-15
CHIGNONs, Alias WATERFALLS.
More About their Dansers-EOth sides
Ofa Dreadful story.


Ofa Dreadful Story.
\ day or two ago we copied from tn
London Lancet concerning the danger
of wearing chignons. The following
has since appeared in the London Tel
egTGph; it processes 20 be the descrip
ton of an actual experiment:
81 purchased at fashionable hair
dresser's a chignon OF very elaborate
appearance, and submitted part of il Il
examination under a powerful micros
cope. From the mass of hair compos
ing the chignon I selected for experi
ment about one hundred and nifty hairs
and commenced by carefully cIeansinl
them from grease or other impuritie.
in tepid solution of potash, and dry.
ing them in a current of heated air
! Upon submitting them to examination
by moderate power, found the hair
which was of dark brown color and
tlne texture, perfectly clean and free
from any parasitical sppendages, unit
! within half an inch Of what was eyi.
\ IDENTIFY the natural end of the hair
when multitude of small dark knots
or protuberauces on the outer cortical
were visible. Upon carefully detaching
some of these, and placing them on an
obJect-glass under much higher DOW.
I er, 1t was Immediately evident that they
| called SregdriReS-
las nearly as could estimate hall
an inch of a single hair would Weld
over a thousand of these disgusting
epiZna in their embryo condition. and
enyeloped in a gIuIinous substance
Having thus satisfied myself of their
| existence, L next proceeded to ascer-
tain If they were 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. 1 therefore placed
about dozen ends of the hair between
I two pieces OF felt slightly oiled, and
submitted il 10 moist heat of one
| hundred and twenty degrees for six
hours; and also bound upon the neck
\ OF common hen-a convenient place
/ having been carefully shaved for the
/ purpoSe-a number OF hair-ends, and
placed the bird in front of the stove for
about the same time.
'At the end of this period the gre
I garines which had been placed in felt
were carefully examined. They had
undergone great development, and
more than a score showed unmistaka-
| BILE signs OF life. But on removing the
hairs from the neck of the hen and
] placing them under the microscope. a
most extraordinary change in the ova
| appeared to have taken place. The
( hairs were swarming with the released
! epizoa; nearly all, indeed, were more
or less detached from the envelope, and
presented many of the unmistakable
I peculiarities oil the pediclLlllS human
| cGpitis. In many the mouth was fur
nished with a proboscis, the antennae.
as long as the thOrax, aud the depressed
! segments OF the abdomen were clearly
visible
at was abundantly evident that no
process 10 which the hair had as vet
been submitted had even impaired,
much less destroyed, the vitality of the
gregarlnes. 1 cannot venture to tres
pass upon your space by giving a de-
tailed account of the experiments made
10 ascertain how this vitality could be
destroyed; suffice it to say that sleeping
IN boiling water and exposure to a drV
heat OF 500 Fahrenheit totally failed to
DO so. The compound, ether, benzole,
and the bi-chloride of mercury, de-
stroyed them completely; as also some
OF the mineral acids; but most of these
would of course render the hair worth
less 10 the chiguon-maker, the beauty
OF Its appearance being entirely de-
stroyed- regard these experiments
as fully demonstrating the fact that
many ladies are wearing, perfectly un-
suspected, upon their heads the germs
OF an insect life, which may at any mo-
ment spring into vitality that would
prove distressing beyond measure, and
De oy no means easy to eradicate these
horrible insects multiplying; with al
most inconceiyable rapidity, and their
generation being governed by no we'll
ascertained law"
A writer in the London ReUielg dis
cusses the whole subject of chfgnons-
inquiring at the outset, "why do ladies
wear chignons? Do men fall in love
with chignons? Do an Ishagonian and
a Cockney share in this extraordinary
sentiment. and both lay ther hearts at
the back Of their respective Juliet's
head?"-and citing Du ChaiIla's new
book to, show that the bellies of
equatorial Africa wear chignons not at
all unlike what may be seen anv day
in Regent street. The difference, how
ever, between the Ishago and the En-
glish lady is that the former manufac-
lures the chignon out of her own hair
ana head, while the latter buys it ready
made in the shops"
Then the writer quotes the story we
have copied above, and derides it; re-
marking thus:
"The gregarines are possibly not an
imals at all, and may be a compara-
lively harmless though disgusting veg
etable formation. They are not 'epizoa,'
and they never develop into pediculi.
In fact, pediculi are never found in
dead hair. Then, again, artificial hair
for the most part comes from Francs.
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 latter matter
1t Is not easy TO conjecture. II Is not i'm
probable that they will stick to the
chignons through good and evil report.
They are not deferred by trifles from
what they have once taken a fancy to.
and If you want 10 confirm a woman in
her attachment TO anything, you have
only TO abuse il; if she only had a slight
regard for it before, she viii then love
1t with a positive enthusiasm which
might be mistaken for obstinaney, but
which Is simply touch OF genuine fe-
male nature.
''English ladies are glorious martyrs
10 custom, and have of.en before stood
boldly up against the innovations Of
science. If they once take it into their
heads that chiguous will aid them in
procuring husbands, the imaginary
gregarines will be regarded as nothing.
Chtgnons are classic and Partisan.
Chiguous are borrowed directly from
French danes, whose patrons are in
the jockey clubs Chignons derive a
certain charm of innocent naughtiness
from their very origin. Chignons
enable ladies TO appear on an eouaIity
with each other, whether Nature has
been scanty or profuse to them. The
chlgnon Is another weapon added to the
captivating armory. Between dyes
and chignOp, pads and puffs, the figure
and face will be irresjstibly prepared
for conquest.
''If those embellishments are multi
piled further, We shall arrive at a situ-
aliOn not dissimilar IN that urnInh Is