The record-union., 1898-09-26

by squeezing the skin at the mouth of
gland This microbe of badness has
been isolated and grown as "a culture
on suitable medium, when it appears
as colorless form, changing later into
one of brick-red hue
The question which now remains to
be answered is why the presence or
this microbe should bring such disas-
trous results, and in what manner 1t
causes the falling off of the hair, see
ing that it does not dwell at the root
of the hair, but at some distance In
the follicle above it. A hair cut on
or destroyed above the root is at once
replaced by growth from below, just
as a plant pushes up new stems to
take the place of any that may be lost
so it follows that it can only be by
acting on the root that absolute and
permanent badness can be produced
1t is now shown that its method OF at
tack is as follows: The development
and growth of the microbe causes GER
tain changes in it's environments - the
breaking up, for instance, of substances
around from which it obtains necessary
food and energy-and the cycle OF re-
suits thus brought about gives the pro-
root of the hair
This toxin passes down to the root
and acts as a slow poison, not killing
all at once, but inducing certain char
acteristic symptoms; the hair becomes
lighter in color until it's pigment mas
practically disappeared, it's diameter
gradually lessons, it becomes brittle
and dried up, and eventually dies and
falls out. The root, though weakened
by the poison, sends up another nalr
to replace the fallen one, but the new
outgrowth begins life feebler and poor
er than its predecessor, SO it, too, only
with greater speed, becomes a victim.
So it goes on; each successive out
growth starts more weakly it's fight
against the sinsinuating poison and
more quickly succumbs, until point is
reached when the root can no longer
make a fresh effort, for it has also
fallen completely under the noxious in
f1uence and is killed This course of
events, occurring as 1t does simultane-
ously in hundreds Of adjacent hair
follicles, naturally results in complete
badness.
HOW BADNESS SPREADS.
The manner Of the spread of badness
becomes curious and interesting in the
new light that is shed upon it. Just
as a stone thrown into a pond gives
rise to an overwhelming series of rip
pling circles as the influence of it's i'm
pact extends through the water, Sc
ries which is ultimately checked only
when the limits of the pond are
reached, so the infection of the mi
crobe extends in ever enlarging rings,
beginning at the vortex and slowly in
creasing the area of infection until the
whole of the head has become in
volved, and only a fringe of hair re-
mains of the once luxurious growth.
Why it should first attack the vertex
is not quite clear, for badness caused
by an acute attack of disease may be
localized in any spot, but the fact re-
mains that in all cases Of gradual
chronic badness it invariably begins
at the vertex, usually slightly also over
the temples, though the vertex is the
chief center of infection In the early
days of attack microscopic examination
shows that the small patch affected has
the microbes spread pretty equally all
over it, but gradually they accumulate
chiefly at the outer margin Of the
patch, and thus always pushing out
ward they extend the area indefinitely
in circular fashion.
In any attempt at the alienation of
badness, then, it would appear that it
might be advanta geous to make at
once a clearing round the infected
spot, as is done round the scene Of