The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-16
IS FAIR HAIR BECOMING EXTINCT
Reasons for Thinking THAT 1t Is.


From the British Medical Journal
In forming opinions as 70 whether fair
haired persons are less numerous in a par
ticular locality now than formerly, the ele-
ment of age has to be considered. person
who has spent his childhood in a fair
haired district, and visits it again after
lapse of years may easily imagine that the
number of fair-haired persons is fewer
than formerly, merely on account of the
class Of persons from whom he draws the
Inference being more adult than those of
whom he has recollections formerly.
Upon the rate at which hair darkens
from childhood to adult age we have some
valuable observations, which show that the
hair of light-complexioned male children
darkens from 50 per cent during the first
five years of life TO SO per cent. at IS years,
and dark hair with light eyes is found to in
crease in about the same ratio. Darkening
of the female hair and eyes with age takes
place to a much less extent than among
males. 1t would appear, therefore, that in
estimating the increase or diminution of
fair-haired persons in particular district,
observations on females are much more
trustworthy than on males, from the fact
that they are much less liable to varia-
tions; but, on the other hand, it must be
remembered that the color of woman's
hair Is more liable to alter according to the
tint which is considered the most fashiona-
BILE at particular time.
Besides the blending of fair-haired races
with the dark stocks, there are other ele-
ments which DR.. Beddoe has shown may &C
count for the dimnution of fair hair in Eng
land, and these should not be overlooked.
He considers that the xanthous tempera-
ment is less able to withstand the unsani-
tary conditions existing in the crowded
populations OF our great cities than the
melanotic, and that in this way the law of
natural selection opera5es against its in
crease.
Again, as a large majority of women
live and die unmarried and clildless, it is
probable, in his opinion, that the physical
qualities of the race may be to a small ex-
tent moulded by the action of conjugal as
well as natural selection. In support of
this he has given statistics showing that of
73I women only $50 per cent. of those with
fair hair we're married, against 70 per cent
with black hair, while 81 per cent. with fair
hair were unmarried, against IS per cent.
with black. On classifying those with red.
fair and brown hair as blonde" and those
with dark brown and black hair as dark"
we have $50 of the former and 361 of the
latter. OF the blondes he found 60 per
cent. were married to 70.5 of the dark, and
80 per cent. of the former were unmarried
to 21.5 of the latter.
IL Jul ing several SeueTdGtOHS bnlS pref
erence among the male sex for wives with
dark hair should continue, it is reasonable
to suppose it would exert an influence de-
cldedly adverse TO the increase of fair
haired persons being maintained. On va
rious grounds, therefore, it would seem as if
the fair hair so much beloved by poets and
artists is doomed to be encroached upon and
even replaced by that of darker hue. The
rate at which this is taking place is probably
very slow, from the fact that nature is most
conservative in her changes