Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-12-25
The Anatomy of the Hair.

There is much more in health of hair
than most people imagine. Simply
speaking, on the one hand, the hair
cannot be in health if the body be not
so; and, on the other, an unhealthy
scalp may positively produce grievious
bodily ailments-at least, / believe so;
and | would adduce only me proof of
this. Think you not, then, that if the
skin of the head be not wholesome, and
every duet, whether sebaceous or pers
piratory, acting well, headaches may
occur, or "a duh and hot feeling of the
brain? You can conceive this to be
true readily enough. Wen, the brain
acts, for good or for evil, constantly
upon the stomach and organs Of diges-
ton, and on these latter depends the
whole economy of the system, and the
proper nutrition of bone, muscle and
nerve aS well.
Remember when | say chair" | do
not mean only the visible portion of
that appendage, but its roots as well,
and the glands that Intricate the whole.
1t would take much more space than
| have ut my command at present to
describe the anatomy and growth of
the hair. | may, however, state brief
" 4 few facts concerning it.
/. Each hair, then, grows from the
bottom of a minute sac or depression
in the three layers OF the Skis-a kind
OF bo~ttle-shaped cavity.
2. Each hair is composed of three
layers, corresponding TO those Of the
skin; first IN outer, made un of scales
or cells, arranged like the tiles on q
house, the free ends being turned to-
wards the point of the hair, so that the
hair is, as al know, more easily smooth
ed one way than another. Secondly, a
middle layer. called the corticle
portion, and this is the chief
substance of the hair. and it is this
which splits in some ailments. Lastly
and internally is the pith. not present
in all hair, though it probably ought
to be. This pith consists simply Of
rows of large cells that line the corti-
Gle portion.
3. The color of the hair depends
upon a pigment which is found in the
middle or corticlc layer. This pig
ment is found both fluid and solid in
the cells, and the intensity Of color
say of black and brown hair-depends
upon the amount Of this pigment
more than its actual color.
4. The bottle-shaped depression from
the bottom of which the hair grows is
called the hair sac. and its depth cor
responds with the length of the hair
which is to grow thercfrom; some
times, therefore, the sac of a short hair
will be only through the outer skin
layer, while that of a long hair will be
quite deep. The axis of each ssc is at
an acute angle; thus the hair is en-
abled TO lie flat. Ii it were p~erpendis-
ular, the hair would stand up. Thatit
does so under great fear or excitement
we all know. This is caused sy a
nervous tightening up of the skin. 1t
is constantly seen on the backs of dogs
and cats when they are enraged.
s. The hair grows fronts set on TO-.
| might say-a little cone called the
"matrix," and this cone is fed from the
blood, and in its turn feeds the hair and
enables it to grow.
6. The natural gloss of the hair de-
ponds upon n secretion which is poured
into the sac from two little glands
called %sebaccouS, which secrete an ouy-
juice. Washing the hair with hard Al
klline soap entirely destroys this Sc
erection and cannot but iniure the hair
-Cassell's Family Magazine,