Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-06-19
THE CHIsNON A SOURCE OF PES
THENCE. ms

The lime number of the 6GnstdfadR
contains a report from medical frleno' OF
an instance in which the chignon OF ma
tronly lady of about fifty summers prodnc-
ed a high degree of irritation, and other
unpleasant symptoms. After prescribing
such remedies as were deemed proper, The
medical man clipped unobserved by tne
LADY. a lock of hair from her chignon, which
he took to his office for microscopic ex ami
nation. aHe discovered numerous little
nodes, or nests as they turned out to be-
agglutinated to The hairs Of the chignpn ior
support, and nonrishment, each nest niieo
with eggs. These were Of various degrees
of maturity, some swollen and just ready
to burst, as it were under the genial warmth
of the scalp, and each capable of establish
ing, e colony of not less than fifty pSoro-
sperms-exceediDgIy small spherical ahlmais'
so light as to be waited by the air-and ad-
hesive to any congenial substance Tor nutrl-
ment." 81 Yam TTB " 4.
The medical profession has receivea
through the British Medical Journal an IN
teresting paper on these Gregari'ddoe from
the pen of DIR. Lindeman, who has made
their study specially. DR.. Lindeman tells
us that when these psorosperms mature
they are easily shaken from their resting
places, and floating in the air, are liable to
penetrate into the interior Of the human
organism, reach the inside of the blood YES
sells through the air cells in the lungs, and
produce cardiac or heart diseases, fastening
especially about its valves, causing Bright's
disease, pulmonary affections and other
malades. He calculates that in ballroom
containing fifty ladies, forty-hye million oil
these microscopic animals are set free into
its atmosphere to be inhaled by all alike.
Suppose one woman should have In her
natural hair or chigDon, a colony
of these GregGrinidR, and some IN
fictitious complaint, or contagious disorder?
Filthy creatures from her person would en-
ter the lungs and very hearts of all the pure
persons, ladies and gentlemen, in the ball
room. These are pregnant facts revealed
by the most perfect msgnifyiDg glasses,
which let us into natures secret ways for
disseminating SO called infectious and con
tagious maladies. Vegetable cells or germs
do the same distributing work. The length
of time that these low Organisms may LIE
dormant without losing their vitality is re-
markable. As q frozen ant in wood, oil
honey bee, may live for ages if not disturb
ed, so do torpid psorosperms without some
! violence. The natural heat of the human
body. of other animals, and of summer
sets them in motion, just as warn
ing a stick of wood filed with ants, in the
the winter, by country fire, sets The
insects crawling. Mildew never grows il
a freezing atmosphere. Men who have
frozen feet at the North are never troubled
with seed ticks nor chiggers. Heat ant
moisture govern this kind of life. Cite
are hot-beds for its propagation; and es
pecially such contrivances asthe chignon,an
a feather bed in warm weather. KeeI
out of crowds 10 warm rooms, during sickl.
seasons, for no one can avoid breathing tn
contaminated air that surrounds him
Poison from ones own body may kill him
ifnot from others. Frequent additions, o
washing, temperance in all things, will
proper clothing and ventilation of rooms
may be named as important preventives O
sickness.