West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1893-12-21
TEITryED LOCKS.
Why the Na:r sometimes Turns
D. EuddeDly White.
snto~ carious Cases Observed by sfen of
Science = Queer Facts brought
DOT by Microscopic Tx
animation.

Out ny microscopic Tx
animation.
Some Psychologists arc OF the opinion
that the hair may become white In the
course of few hours. and this Is the
popular impression Others assume
thai such sudden changes never take
place. although II Is certain that the
hair frequently turns gray In tho course
OF n few weeks. IL is difficult to find
IN the works OF the older writer's we'll
authenticated cases OF these sudden
changes. most Of those quoted having
been taken on the loose authority of
persons evidently not In the habit of
making scientific observations. Such
instances unsupported by analogous
cases of n reliable character must nee.
essarily be rejected as not fulfilling
the rigid requirements demanded by
scientific inquiry. In which all possible
sources of error should be ripidly ex-
cludcd. says the San Francisco Chron-
icle
Regarding the subject. however. from
purely scientific point of view one
must acknowledge that there are few
cases OF comparatively recent date In
which sudden blanching of the hair
has been observed and carefully investi-
gated by men trained to accurate scicn-
tific methods.
One OF these cases Is reported In Vir-
elbows Archives for April, 1860, by DIR.
f.andois as occurring under the obser-
walton of himself and DR. Lobmcr. In
this case the blanching OF the hair oc-
CURED in hospital in q single night
while the patient was under the daily
observation of the visiting physicians.
The patient, q compositor, thirty-four
years Of age, with light hair and blue
eyes. was admitted into the hospital
July o, 1868, suffering from an acute
attack OF clclirium tremens. a marked
peculiarly in the disease was excessive
terror whenever anyone approached
the patient He slept for twelve hours
on the night OF the lith OF July after
having taken thirty drops of laudanum.
Up to this time nothing Unusual had
been observed icgarding the hair
On the morning of July IL IL was evil
dent TO the medical attendants and TO
all who saw tho patient that the hair of
the head and beard had become gray.
The patient himself remarked the
change with intense establishment The
hair remained gray as long as the
patient was under observation, to Sep
tember IL An interesting point con-
bected with this case is that the hair
was subjected TO careful microscopic ex-
animation. The color of hair in rem
eral is due to the presence of pigment
granules and OF few air bubbles. In
the case of the compositor the white
hairs were found TO contain multitude
OF bubbles Of air in the mrdulll and
cortical Substance OF the shaft of the
hair. but the pigment granules were
everywhere preserved unnltered The
hair filled with bubbles of air is white
for the same reason that graduated
sugar and the foam on the seashore
arc white. The individual granulcs of
the sugar and the individual bubbles
that form the foam are transparent.
The reflection of light from granuie TO
granule and from bubble to bubble
makes the mass OF tho sugar and of
the foam white. In similar way the
reflection OF light from air bubble to
air bubble makes the hair seem white
DIR Landois quotes instances of
blanching Of the hair in which there
were alternate rings OF white and
brown. Another very curious case of
sudden Slanching of the hair is report
ed by Erasmus Wilson in the proceed
ings Of the Royal society. London. In
shese eases also the white portion pre-
scented on microscopic examination
great bubbles OF air hut nodiminution
in the quantity of pigment matter
The possibility OF sudden blnnchinp
OF the hair is further illustrated by the
curious observation made by the cele-
DRAFTED Or Brown-Sequard. of elixir Of
life fame lie observcd In his own per-
son four white hairs ON one side of his
beard and seven on the other These
he pulled ont Two days after he
found two hairs on one side and three
IN the other that were white through.
out their entire length This. observa-
ton he verified several times
The microscopic examinations made
leave no doubt as to the cause of the
white color Of the hair In cases OF sud-
GeD blanching All are agreed that
there - no diminution In the pigment.
but that the greater part Of the mcdul-
la becomes filed with air bubbles,
small globules of air being found In the
cortical substance The hair IN these
eases presents q marked contrast to
hair that has become gray gradually
from old age The change OF color due
TO are Is caused by an actual diminu-
ton in the quality Of pigment
How the air finds its way into the
hair n sudden bIanching IL Is difficult
70 Imagine IN. all Of the cases recorded
the blanching Of the hair was apparent
~ dependent upon strong emotions.
generally terror This Is all that can
be sad on the subject Of its causation.
the mechanism Of the change not being
understood