Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-07-11
FITTED TO A HAIR
The Story Of a Microscope.

9 Some time ago, being in company Win
O. medical man, whom l will call MI. II
49,, we fell into conversation on the
uses of the microscope, in the management
of which he was an adept. NOW, sald
he, TT viii tell you story OF what hap
pened to myselEoTe which, think, well
illustrates the importance of this 1nstru-
ment to zsoeiesy, though | was put IN a
very unpleasant position, owing to my ac-
quaintance with it,, e..-gsa,
II have, as you know, given q good deal
of attention to comparative anatomy, es-
pecialIy to the structure of the hair as 1t
appears under the microscope. 10 the
unassisted eye, indeed, all hair appears
very much alike, except as it is long or
short, dark or fair, straight or curly, coarse
or fine. Under the microscope, however,
the case is very different; the white mans
is round, the negro's oval, the n1ouse's ap-
parently jointed, the bats jagged, and so
on. Indeed, every animal has hair OF
peculiar character, and, what is more, this
character varies according to the part Of
the body from which it is taken-an I'M
portant circumstance, as will appear from
my story, which is this: 80
~ once received letter by post, con-
tanning few hairs, with request that l
would examine them, and adding that
thew would be called for in few days.
Accordingly, / submitted the hairs to the
MICROSCOPE, when discovered that they
were from the human eyebrow, and had
been bruised. / made note to this effect
and folded it up-with the hairs in an en-
velope, ready for the person who had sent
them. In a few days stranger called and
inquired whether had made the ,lnvestl-
CATION. e'Oh, yes l said, there they are,
and YOU will find them and their descrlp-
ton i'm this envelope handing 1T to him
at the same time He expressed himself
as being much obliged. and offered me
fee. which, however, declined, telling
him that could not think of taking any
thing for so small a matter. -at s $3.50
@ It turned out, however,Of more eonse-
ouence than had imagined, for, within a
week, was served with subpoena TO at
tend as a witness on a trial for murder.
This was very disagreeable, as have said,
but there was no help for it now. The
case was this:sav sgIoy v.v
A man had been Killed by blow from
some blunt Instrument on the eyebrow,
and the hairs seut to me for examination
had been taken from hammer in the pos
session of suspected murderer. was put
into the witness box, and my testimony,
that the hairs were from the human eye
brow, and had been bruised, was inst the
link in the chain of evidence which suf-
feed to convict the prisoner. The jury,
however, were not easily satisfied that my
statement was worth anything; and 1T re-
uuired the solemn assurance of the Judge
that such q conclusion was within the
reach OF science to CONVINCE them that they
might act upon it. gr -s-..T ~. ,...-..
80 One -juryman in partieular-an old
farmer-Was very hard to satisfy. Does
thee mean to say said he, that thee can
tell any hair of any animal? l answered
that would not take upon myself to as
tat hot II 1ithOnOh
r believed / could. WELL said he, III
prove thee" at -l'H .D'4'n-2 =.
1.-THE prisoner, as 1 said, was convicted,
and / went home, and in the busy life OF
an extensive practice, forgot all about my
obstinate old farmer. About two years
afterwards, however, a person, an utter
stranger to me, called on me with few
hairs screwed up in piece of paper, which
he asked me to examine and report on.
"'Is this another murder case !? in
| ouired for if so, L will have nothing to
| do with it. I've had enough of that sort
| of work. gh azsi -lt sstaIf -
/ s"No, no said he sits nothing of the
| kind. It is only a matter of curiosity,
which should be very much Obliged II
! YOU would solve; and If you will do it, L
will call or send for the result of your eN7
animation in few days time %
I, =" Having received this assurance un-
| dertoOk the 1nVeSt1gatloH's@
"When he was gone and | had leisure,
I nut the hairs under the microscope, and
soon discovered that they were taken from
the back of Norway rat.
| 1.-Two or three days afterward, as was
! sitting in my consulting room, an Ola
1 farner-Iooking man was ushered' in.
! WELL said he, has thee looked at them
4 hairs ?i'd g zHiaiaes1e 10 5so1Jrg 81 "a. -.q
ssasYes s11I answered, tand / find that they
are from the back of Norway rat: wen,
exclaimed he, $50 they are. Thou hast
forgotten me, but / have not forgotten
! thee Does the recollect the trial for muir,
der at L-assizes? 1 said Would
prove thee, ands SO 1 have, for them hairs
come from the back of a rats skin my sor
sent me from Norway, So the old gen
tleman was quite satisfied with the proc
to which he had put me, and ! as yot
may suppose, was we'll pleased that my
skill and sagacity had stood such "a quee
proof as this, and more convinced thai
4 ever of the value Of the microscope
/ EsTHere the Doctor ended his story, Whici
i / have given as nearly as possible IN III
q own words, and upon which believed