The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-24
hlROBES THE CAUSE OF BADNESS.
~ .EGIFRMIhATt THEM. 81

other scalp diseases are more or less along
the same line, and due TO parasitic or mi
crobic attack. Now. you can see that the
oid-time treatment was more than USE
less"
i've tried four different specialists. and
! each one said the last treatment was no
| good" said the reporter sadly.
Exactly I'll bet can write you out
| a formula that vs.. pretty nearly hit the
| tonics they trisA for your hair. There
| was cantharides in all OF them?"
YES"
| The doctor mopped his forehead ex-
/ citedly.
! reputation In hair tonics is more than
! know II IL a tradition OF a century, and
I it's all nonsense. II cuts into the scarf
skin and causes Inflammation, and It's
made out OF dead bug. anyway; so IL
furnishes exactly the element OF decom-
position that scalp microbes thrive on.
Its use on the scalp ought to be forbidden
! by law. There was probably borax in
your prescriptions too. That was to eat
all the oil and life out Of your hair, and
quinine was with It for no purpose at all:
II has absolutely no tonic effect on hair.
and then they added a little bay rum to
squelch any signs OF life the borax left.
You had that mixed into your head. and
It's wonder you have any hair left"
"One specialist rubbed plain vaseiine
into my scalp" said the reporter meekly.
The doctors face expressed unutterabie
disgust and fatigue.
We'll that's good microbe food. I wish
I could show you the effect upon perfectly
healthy hair Of keeping II in vaseline for
two days. Come down some time next
week and Ill show you. The vaseline
treatment doesn't do thing toward
Graduating the cause OF the disease or
establishing a permanent cure"
what is one to dor
THAT would be telling you all that I've
worked years to find out but you see I've
given you the basis on which to start a
solution OF the problem. The microbes
must In some way be exterminated. and
the follcles put In healthy condition. be-
fore strong. healthy growth OF hair Is
possible. l don't mind telling you some
OF the important things about the care of
the hair. The thing I'd like to impress
upon the public IL the vital Importance OF
clean hair brushes. The condition OF the
average hair brush Is simply disgraceful
and makes IL a perfect mass of Infection.
The brush should be washed every week
and washing isn't enough. II should be
thoroughly sterilixcd at least twice a
month. All hair does not need much
brushing and the kind OF brush required
depends upon the peculiarities OF the
scalp. A stiff brush Is necessary for some
heads and fatal to others, and ones brush
should really be prescribed by n compe-
tent specialist, Then. the comb should be
n different thing from the ordinary affair
II should be coarse. a fine comb Is all
wrong. The teeth should round both on
the sides and the ends, so that II will
glide smoothly through the hair, and
there shouldn't be any corners between
the teeth.
THE hair doesn't need washing moro
than once month"; except in unusual
cases, and then no alkali should he used
on II. All hats should be well ventilated
and worn as lttlo as possible. II we went
bareheaded there would be no badness.
You never heard Of a bald Indian. Heat
and moisture are absolutely essential to
the development OF the microbes and the
modern hat furnishes both of them I've
experimental on animais-inoculated them
with microbes and kept them In a warm
moist atmosphere. The microbes spread
like fire. and attacked the hair ravenously,
but when the animals were put In dry,
cool air the microbes didn't live.
There has been popular belief
that badness was hereditary. That's
all nonsense. Scalp trouble isn't he
reditary. but 1t Is contagious, and
II Is very likely to run through a whole
family. Hat pins ought to be cleaned
often. So ought hsirpins. Clea nliness is
the great badness preventive. but when
the disease has once started nothing but
energetic scientific treatment will stop II.
III hair specialists will only wake up and
go to work on scientific and intelligent
basis this increasing badness can b.
checked, but the man or woman who
owns the hair must help In the work and
exercise little rational common sense"