Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-17
OUR HAIR.

an object admired and coveted by all. 1t is
tull CONSIDERED an important qualification In
female cOmeliness- The interest taken the
haIT at the present day is shown by the enOr-
nous sums which are annually spent in western
Europe and in America in hair cosmetics and
IN articles of the toilet connected with il.
Polished Frenchmen and fastidious English
men best0w vast amount of attention on this
portion of the toilet, to the occasional neglect
o. some OF ITS other equally important functions.
In France, the number Of BARRIERS, coiffeurs,
ptrTuquIers, frlseurs, etc, that display their
signs IN the streets of Paris, testify to the ex-
treme interest devoted by the population to the
eIinal covering on their heads.
Europeans, nevertheless, must yield the palm
10 those whom they designate as sayages, for
not even the, French can vie with the natives OF
New Ireland in the Ornamentation of their hair
According TO Captain Keppel, these abOrigiHes
possess vast quantity OF hair, which Is friZzed-
out and colOred white, black, and red. The
one half OF their heads covered with a Jet black
mixture, whilst the other half is of bright red
or white. The crews of the boats were painted
uniformly, and II must have been a curious
sight for crew TO appear all black from one
side OF the ship, and then, rowing round the
vessel, suddenly become white OF red.
The hair, though unsuseeptible of expression
nnder the VIII, like the mobile portion OF the
face. and though popularity regarded as para
site growth rather than as the essential part of
the body Is capable of being affected by the
stronger emotions and passions Most of us
have experienced the sensation popularity de-
scribed as "hair standing on end, or seen the
partial erection of the hair OF women and child
rem under similar circumstanCes-nO to saw
witnessed ITS representation in sculptures ami
them hereafter.
New let us consider the purposes fulfilled by
the hair and its formation. Hairs are append-
ages of the skin, contributing to its defence
like the scarf-skln, of which latter, indeed they
may be regarded "a notifications, suited to a
special use. The hairs cross the skin like the
respiratory and Oil tubes, and resemble both
IN the extent to which they are prolonged into
- hQf fEazN n. Ia
ed TO the superficial strata; the long hairs. like
the former, extending more deeply, and even
piercing u altogether, so as to reach the subcu-
taneous fat Within the skin, each hair il en-
closed in sheath or tube, closed at its extrem
ity where II supports the roots of the hair ami
constructs, Ike the respiratory and oil tubes,
are lining of scarf-skin, a middle vascular
layer, and protective or fbrous LAYER These
sheaths or hair tubes, as they resemble the per-
spiratory and oil tubes, so also do they initiate
them In function.
Each portion of the skin is organized for the
production OF hairs, with the exception of the
palm of the hand and sole of the foot ON the
greater part OF the body the hairs are short and
hne, and AN some instances they scarcely rise to
ABOVE the level OF the skin. In others as In
the scalp, the eyebrows, and in man the wills
kers and beard. they grow 90 a considerable
length. The length and thickness of the hair
are regulated by a law of Nature the hair of
the head being always longer and finer than
that of the beard, and the latter longer than
the whiskers and eyebrows When hairs are
lett 10 their natural growth, they attain a Ger
tain length, and are then thrown of by a pro
cess analogous TO the change of coat in animals
their place being supplied by young hairs
which grow from the same tubes This tempo
rary decay OF the hair happens also happen
when il is cut of.
The length Of the hair of the head in woman
ranges between twenty inches and yard, and
Its weight to between six and eight ounces. In
many Instances the length far exceeds the
above, and the case is known of lady in whom
IL measures two yards, and trails on the ground
when she stands erect. When the hair is ire
quently shaved, il becomes more persistent, and
increases in strength and bulk. 1t has been
calculated that the hair of the beard grows a.
the rate OF one line and a half in the week. This
VIII give a length of 6x inches for a year, so
that an old man Of eighty would have shaved
from bis chin 2. feet of beard. This Is by no
means surprising, when Mr.. Erasmus Wilson
tells US in his treatise on ssHealthy Skin, - that
according to Eble, there is in the Princes pal
ace at Eidam painting OF a carpenter whose
beard was nine feet long, so that when engaged
at work he was obliged to carry il in q bag, as
q lawyer carries his briefs. Moreover, we are
told by the same authority, that the Burgo-
sen % fnld 9n Having on one coca
uod upon IL as he assembled the staircase lead
ing to the council chamber of Brunn. and was
thereby thrown down and killed.
The shape of individual hairs is cylindrical
for the smaller kinds and oval for those that
are longer. With the view of ascertainng the
thickness OF hair, Nr. Erasmus Wilson made a
series of curious experiments. He measured
the diameter of 1000 hairs taken from IS per-
sons, and found them to range between 1-l5Oo
Loo of an inch. He then measured i55 hairs
taken from the heads of three South American
tanned the thickness of the hairs of the South
Americans to be about the same as those from
English heads, whilst the hairs bel ongins to the
gentleman from New Zealand were somewhat
thicker. averaging about the 1850 of an inch.
To our surprise, we learn that the hair of the
fair sex, who are 30 much superior to US in point
of delicacy and sensibility Of feeling, is rule
coarser than that of the dark sex. In children
it 10 naturally finer than in adults. Great
diversity Is discovered IN hairs from the same
head, and even in the diameter OF the same
hair, and one tested by Mr.. Erasmus Wilson
was perceived TO range between 1-500 and 2-320
Of an inch. Flaxen hair is the finest and black
being Loo to l-350 of an inch, gradually de-
ereasng 10 1-5,D to Loo in the haxen. The
beard produces the coarsest hair, each tube in
dark man averaging loo of an inch.
Few Of US have any idea as to the number of
hairs We possess on our heads Mr.. Erasmus
Wilson can tell US to nicely. He observed on
inspection, In square inch on the scalp of a
brown-haired man, IA pores. each pore being
supposed 70 give passage to one hair. The sur
rscS S' would saI yed hairs TSs
refers to thin heads, for in others many, If not
all, pores give passage to two 16rs- Reckoning
that only half the pores In head should give
passage 10 two hairs, we should find I JIG hairs
Per square inch, or 1880 hairs on medium
head whilst, II we calculate two hairs on each
pore, We shall arrive at the conclusion that
those who own luxuriant heads carry on them
a. many a: Il $3.50 individual hairs.
The shades OF color of human hair appear 10
be referrible TO type and to climate N we pro-
coed towards the north the hair becomes liytter
while IL We proceed to the south il deenens II,
= its hues, these differences being Connected with
the amount OF pigment in the scarf skIn The
Caucasian variety of mankind, As we behold in
the inhabitants Of Europe, has hair of q smut
brown, running on the one hand into yellow,
and on the other into black, long, soft and un-
duiating," whilst the hair of the Monaghan
variety u black, stiff, straight and sparing. as
we observe in the natives OF the East Indies,
China, and the Laplanders and Esqumaux
The hair in the Ethiopian variety IL black and
crisp. and accompanied by black skin, as in
the negro The American Indians, who pos
eess q copper-colored skin, have black. stiff
straight and spare hair like the Monaghan race;
and the Malay variety, which includes the in
habitants Of Malaeca, the East Indies and the
Pacific islands, Is characterized by tawny skin.
and black, soft, curly, thick and abundant hair
AS a rule, the complaint We USUALLY near is
aaeheiency, rather than an excess, Of hair, but
when The latter event occurs, IL Is sometimes
exceedingly disagreeable TO the owner In their
NORMAL state and condition, the little hairs
kro~lhf on the skin all over the body are color