The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-28

canitia are of frequent occurrence in all
countries.
While there is no disputing that severe
nervous strain has been proved time and
again to have some strange influence upon
| the pigments which lend color to human
hair, the exact process has never yet been
| discovered or described. Among the emf
nent writer's who have speculated upon the
cause Of these surprising Transformations
are Vanquelin and Wilson. The first says:
! AT the critical moment when nature is
in revolution, and when. consequently. the
| natural functions are suspended or chang
! ed. an agent is developed in animal econo-
my which passes into the hair and decom-
poses It's coloring matter" He concludes
that this mysterious agent must be an
acid
Wilson says: "These phenomena may be
the result of electrical action. They may
be the consequence OF chemical alterations
wrought in the very blood itself. or they
may be conversion for which the tissue
OF the hair is chiefly responsible
In spite of the rapid march of science.
it is generally conceded that the actual
cause or process in cases OF sudden bleach
ing OF hair still remains mystery. DR..
Il. C. Perry, an expert dermatologist en-
deavors to explain the phenomenon.
I'VE find that sudden blanching occurs
not to light, but to dark hair" says DR..
Perry I'm a gradual approach to grey
ness. which happens in the course of ma
ture. the greyness is originally produced
by the presence of lime in the hair and
as the iron which had occasioned the for
mer black or dark color is gradually abb
sorbed. or otherwise eliminated, the grey
ness becomes lighter, and thus the hair
eventually is white or silvery.
There Is no other portion OF the sys-
TEN more liable to debility than that
which supports and nourishes the hair. In
this state of debility it is, of course, more
susceptible to extraneous influences than
In its normal state; and hence, during that
period when the mind and soul together
are so violently affected. and 50 palpably
assert their superiority over that me-
chanical affair. the body. those parts which
chance to be the weakest. for instance the
scalp. will suffer in some sort OF proper
ton to their helplessness.
When this dreadful shock of the su-
perior parts occurs, and the operations of
the vital galvanic force are more active
than usual it were not too wildly fantastic
to find everything movable in the system
moving. simply because IL could no longer
remain stationary. and seeking such aflin-
ity such practicable new quarters as
should on the instant be revealed. And
thus quickened by extraneOus force be-
hold the lime contained in the circulation.
at this moment OF supreme advantage. i'm
mediately assuming that place in the hair
which in the ordinary course it could not
have attained perhaps for many years.
while galvanic battery is in operation
there is n constant displacement of the
particles of the two metals acted on by the ,
acid. and gradual translation OF one from
its own into another trough and decOm-
position of its particles upon substances
in the connection. This is the familiar
operation known as galyaniZing. So. also.
while that powerful galvanic battery. the
brain and the nerves. is evolving large
quantities of the subtle fluid which is ca
pable of so many wondrous effects. we may
fancy degree Of displacement Of the iron
In the hair that might, In the course Of
q night result in the removal of no incon-