The times., 1898-02-13
WHY HAIR COMES TO HARM
New Theory in Regard to Beauty's
Thinning Locks.
The Strands Are Cut by Microbes
That Must be Drowned Out
With Lotions and Water.

| 1t requires, not certified statistics,
! but just little observation, 10 show
| that as a race American women, as ell
as men, lose both the color and abun-
dance of their natural head covering
earlier than any other nation. Started
| off in life with a fine siIken brown suit
| curling well below her waist, it is only
/ the extraordinary woman who at twen-
ty-fve does not find her combings ev-
| cry morning increasing to alarming
| bulk. Her scalp seems suddenly to fail
| in fertility, ana in a few years just a
| thin braid is left as a remnant of the
| once charming shock of curls.
| Now, as q matter of fact 1t is not
age, or ill-health, or heredity. or even
! the grossest neglect that affects the
| hair as above described.
Perhaps it is not pleasant bit of
| news to thin-haiTed women, but il is
| true, nevertheless, that the scalp dis
| ease which causes hair to fall is tiny
parasite which literally eats away the
| hair roots The microscope viii reveal
| this evil doer, who works as vigorously
as a weeyil in wheat.
| Just where he comes from is a mat
| ter not yet solved, but his species IS
apidly propagated and communicated
| from head TO head by the contact OF
| healthy with diseased hair. Now. il is
J an encouraging fact that head that
boasts an exquisitely white whole
| some scalp under peculiar conditions,
whether clear or not, will escape infec-
| ton when the danger is greatest. just
| as two persons viii drink of cOptami-
| mated water, one will die of typhoid
| fever and the other flourish. These ex-
! ceptions are the secrets of nature, but
| the average head viii and does readily
nnraf h.
contact with an affected scalp is not
| necessary for this. 1t is only necessary
to pass an elegant silver-backed brush,
seemingly perfectly clean and taken
| from the toilet table Of a most dainty
| woman, through the hair to accept
| enough microbes TO absolutely impOv-
| r1sh perfect scalp. Sleeping one night
! in the same bed with an affected scalp
| is also sufficient. or merely resting the
| head one moment on the back Of a stuff
| chair a person with falling hair has
| lately occupied will communicate the
1 disease almost instantly
AS TO the symptoms that follow the
acceptance of this tiny depredator they
| are too we'll known to need descrip-
ton The hair. may or may not with
out any especial sensation in the scalp,
begin 10 fall from its moorings. A lit
tie Of the long hair comes at first.
then more and more, showing that the
microbe is multiplying and extending
daily the area of depreciation.
Frequently the scalp is sensitive to
the touch, or itches violently. though
there may be some dandruff 10 cause
the sensation Vigorous brushing. the
ordinary shampoo, applications of the
usual tOnics. or grease are all unavaiI-
able in dislodging the microbe. though
to certain extent great cleanliness
and rapid application of the brush
discourage very active browsing, and
viii to certain extent check or mod
ify the destructive course. 1t is just
here, in the moment of greatest dis
couragement that science steps in TO
the aid of beauty and shows that the
one and only cure for hair that is fall
ing from the roots is water, massage
and air.
Immediately the morning combings
begin to show any unusual number Of
long bright hairs. those precious
strands are proof positive that there
is a little reaper at the roots, and act
i've measures must be taken TO COM
bat him. If it were possible to wash
the head and hair quite clean in
clear water and borax, leave it
dry in the sun and wind and
permit it to hang free all day,
in week the microbe would be eradi-
Gated; but for a woman. and especial
ly one who lives in the city. this meth
cd is impossible. Her chance for re-
tanning her hair does. however. rest
on her own energy and painstaking
care. She must not apply any greasy
tonic to the scalp, for this only en-
courages the microbes growth. and
above all things soapy shampoo must
be avoided
She can either inaugurate a series Of
clear water dOucheS for her head or
resort to a physician, who will make an
examination of her head with a micro
scope and give her as exact description
of its condition as a specialist would of
her heart and lungs. on sounding and
investigation. He can tell of a hairs
width in what portion of the scalp the
marauder is at work. and usually.
through questions, he can discover
where, or how, or when the infection
was received. He cannot, If her case
is undertaken, promise TO restore a
growth where the micrObe has cut out
the roots of hair and destroyed them.
but he can eradicate the enemy. check
the falling and redouble the growth in
the healthy parts.
All this he does by merely handing
his patient over to an expert woman.
who. armed with rubber aprons, plenty
OF water varying in temperature from
hot to cold. and a bottle of simple 10
ton. gives the head a series of sham
poos. She uses no soap in the process,
very little toweling. but large amount
of finger work. The properties the To-
tion contains are strong enough to kill
the germs, while the many lavings in
perfectly clear water stimulate the skin
and cleans the hair. So far the ingTe-
dients of the lotion are not public prop
erty, but the chief element in this cure
any woman can put into practice. As
the head is douched the fingers must
vigorously massage every inch OF the
scalp. over and over again, until the
skin under the hair is red and hot.
The length of the hair is pressed as
free of water as possible between the
palms. rubbed for a moment between
towels and then left TO hang until per-
fectly dry. This process repeated TOUR
or five times brings the scalp into per-
fectly normal condition, and not only
kills every Injurious germ in the roots.
but gives the healthy roots an impetus
toward fresh growth.