The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-03-22
WHY THE HAIR WHITENS'
SUDDEN BLANCHING IS DUE to
AIR BUBBLES.

With Hairs in HIS Beard.
THE blanching of the hair and
beard Of Ovide Musin, the vi
olinist, following serious in.
juries in train wreck, has ex.
cited much speculation and theorizing us
to the causes Of hair so suddenly turning
white.
Some psychologists are OF the opinion
that the hair may become white in the
course Of a few hours, and this is the
popular impression. Others assume that
suoh sudden changes never take place,
although it is certain that the hair fire..
quently turns gray in the course of few
weeks. 1t Is difficult to find in the
works of the older writers we'll authenti-
Gated cases of these sudden changes,
most Of those quoted having been taken
on the loose authority of persons evi.
IDENTITY not In the habit of making scien.
tific observations. Such instances un-
supported by analogous cases of reli-
able character must necessarily be re-
jected as not fulfilling the rigid
requirements demanded by scientific in
quiry, in which all possible sources of
error should be rigidly excluded.
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 investigated
by men trained to accurate scientific
methods.
One of the cases is reported in Vir-
chow's Archives for April, 1855, by DR..
Landois as occurring under the observa-
tion of himself and DR.. Lohmer. In this
case the blanching of the hair occurred
in hospital in single night while the
patient was under the daily observation
of the visiting physicians. The patient,
a compositor, thirty-four years of age,
with light hair and blue eyes. was ad-
mitted into the hospital July 3, 1865,
suffering from an acute attack of de-
lirium tremens. A marked peculiarity
in the disease was excessive terror when
ever any one approached the patient.
He slept for twelve hours on the night
of the 11th of July, after having taken
thirty drops of laudanum. Up to this
time nothing unusual had been observed
regarding the hair.
On the morning of July 18th it was
evident to the medical attendants aud to
all who saw the patient that the hair of
the head and beard had become gray.
The patient himself remarked the change
with intense astonishment. The hair re-
mained gray as long as the patient was
under observation, TO September 18th.
An interesting point connected with this
case is that the hair was subjected to
careful microscopic examination. The
color of the hair in general is due to the
presence of pigment granules and of a
few air bubbles. In the case of the com.
positor the white hairs were found to
contain a multitude of bubbles of air in
the medulla and cortical substance Of
the shaft of the hair, but the pigment
granules were everywhere preserved un-
altered. The hair filed with bubbles of
air is white for that same reason that
granulated sugar and the foam on the
seashore are white. The individual
granules of the sugar and the individual
bubbles that form the foam are transpa-
rent. The reflection of light from gran
ule to granule and from bubble to bub-
BILE makes the mass of the sugar aud of
foam white. In similar way the re-
Election of light from air bubble to air
bubble makes the hair seem white.
DR.. Landois quotes instances of
blanching of the hair in which there
were alternate rings of white and brown.
Another very curious case of sudden
blanching of the hair is reported by
Erasmus Wilson IN the proceedings of
the Royal Society, London, volume xv.,
No. 81, page 406. In these cases also
the white portion presented on micro
scopic examination great bubbles of air,
but no diminution in the quantity of
pigment matter.
The possibility of sudden blauching of
the hair is further illustrated by the
curious observation made by the cele-
brated Brown-Sequard of elixir of life
fame. He observed in his own person
four white hairs on one side of his beard
and seven on the other. These he pulled
out. Two days after he found two hairs
on one side and three on the other that
were white throughout their entire
length. This observation 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-
den blanching. All are agreed that there
is no diminution in the pigment, but
that the greater part of the medulla be-
comes filed with air bubbles, small glo-
bules of air being found in the cortical
substance. The hair in these cases pre-
sents marked contrast to hair that has
become gray gradually from old age.
The change of color due to age is caused
by an actual dlminution in the quality
of pigment.
How the air finds its way into the
hair in sudden blanching it is difficult to
imagine. In all OF the cases recorded
the blanching of the hair was apparently
dependent upon strong emotions, gen.
orally terror. This is all that can be
said on the subject of its causation, the
mechanism of the change not being un.
derstood.-San Francisco Chronicle.