The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-25
SKIN AND IT'S CHILDREN.
Here Il Man That Has Counted the Hair
of the Human Head

| posed to this at the Royal institution
recently. has counted them. He would
not, of course, be particular to u hair or
two one way or the other, but this, on
| the average, is the result. The skin has.
therefore, IL very respectful family of
otfsprings, for the biologists can show us
beyond all doubt that hairs are, after all.
only special parts of the skin that
nature has modified in this way in order
to protect and keep warm her highly
important works within. The human
skin is much more complex sort of
fabric than is popularity imagined. The
true skin is right underneath. You can
| make its acquaintance with the aid of II
file or the sharp corner of a door lock-
The outer skin or cuticle is really CON
tinually renewed shield of horny scales,
which are the cast off dead cells of the
living layer below. The under skin is
the really business ARTICLE, full of cum
ming little ''touch nerves, blood vessels,
lymphatics sweat glands, fat glands.
hair follcies and what not
The follicies are the pits in which the
hairs are grown, something like celery,
and nature has expended apparently IL
quite ridiculous amount of care on these
structures. The hair in each cell is IL
direct growth of the skin 1t grows at
the rate of half.,an inch month The
coloring matter, as we know, is apt to
fade and leave us at the mercy of those
who compound fluids which are mot
dyes. Professor Stewart thinks il
quite possible that sudden fright might
blanch the pigment lin IL single night
but how it is done, since this pigment, in
most cases. is far away from amy visible
nervous control. he fails to see. Some
people have peculiar sparkling look
about their sandy hair. The professor
IN al of Il
colored growth. which he finds cor
respond with alternate periods of twelve
hours normal growth. The pigment is
perhaps, not deposited during the night,
but is during the day. or vice versa,
Each particular hair stands up like
quilts upon the fretful porcupne' (Which.
by the way. are also hairs by virtue of
an erector muscle, one end of which *
fastened to the bulb OF the hair, and the
other To the point near the surface of the
skin. When the muscles contracts I'M
der nervous excitement. the hair is pulled
up vertically lit usually lies IL little slant
ing-wise). The pull on the muscle is
also seen at the point of attachment in
the skin, giving rise to the little
dimples which. in conjunction of the
erect hairs, produce the appearance of
what is known as goose flesh"
Other children of the skin. but only
twenty in number, are the nails. These
arise out of sharp folds in the skin. and
are essentially very tough, horney ma
terial, built up from the living skin cells.
much in the same way as hairs are built
up. The growth is at the rate of about
the thirty of an inch Il week
The nail is fastened to the underskin bv
peculiar system of locking teeth
While talking about the skin Professor
Stewart did not overlook the ''sweat
glands, which lie buried in the under
skin, extracting from the blood some
fifty ounces of watery waste products Il
day These pass ont through corkscreW
passages in the outer skin. emerging in
the shape of myriad little pores. which
we can just make out by the aid of an
ordinary pocket lens. There are about
5000 of such openings on the palm of
ones hand. Professor Stewart has coun-
ted them. but again he will not risk his
reputation for strict veracity on the
question of II single pore one way or
another. 1t i averages he deals in. feel
ing OF course. that the public j. not eX-
acting in such matters. London Graphic
ATTACHMENT STRONG IN DEATH
Passed Away With Picture of the Vice
President in His Hand
Vice President Stevenson received IL
touching proof Of affection yesterday
from an old negro servant. james
Thomas was Il negro of the old school.
courteous. faithful and tender in his
attachment for those whom he regarded
as his bettcrs and who were good to him
He was messenger in the postoffice de-
partment when Mr.. Stevenson was first
assistant postmaster general. During the
time he held that Office Mr.. Stevenson
l.l.i l. =. Il
Thomas nursed him through it, The
kindness which marked his services in
that crisis and the value of them We're
appreciated thoroughly by Mr. Stevenson,
| and ever afterwards he had warm place
in his heart for his faithful attendant
He SAW that the old man wanted for
| nothing. and withal displayed such
kindly regard for him that old Thomas
| affection grew to Il positive veneration.
While the Vice President was in Ala
bama, lie received IL letter from one of
Thomas relatives, notifying him that the
old man WAS dangerously sick As
as soon a. Mr.. Stevenson returned yester-
day morning. he sent his son Louis out
TO the old negro's home, 1875 Pierce street,
to notify him that lie would he out to see
him and find out if there was anything
that could he done for the sufferers com
fort. When Louis arrived at the house the
faithful old Thomas was dead, and his
mourning relatives told him this pathetic
| story.
An hour before the old man died they
| said he arose from the bed, went into
| another room, secured IL portrait of the
Nice-Presdent, which Mr.. stevenson had
| given him and held it in his hand with
| his eyes fixed upon it. Thus he died.
| When Louis Stevenson was taken into
| the room where the old man lay, the pho