Evening journal., 1904-09-07
HATS AND THE HAIR
IS HEADGEAR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
INCREASE OF BALpNEss7

anu All Forms OF Cltnrrh.
There is considerable evidence"
says Nature, that the vigor Of the
hair on the head Of man, especially in
the male sex, is declining. The com
plexity Of the conditions of civilized
life renders it impossible to prove that
this is due to the cessation Of natural
selection and the inability Of sexual Sc
lection to arrest decline, but 1t Is high
" probable that this is the case. The
more immediate question is this: Is a
decline in the growth Of hair part Of a
general degeneration Of mans ances-
tral pelage or is it due to some factor
introduced by man himself? 1t is de-
clared by the reformers who advocate
the abandonment Of all head covering
that the wearing Of headgear is re-
sponsible for the increase Of prema-
ture badness. Hitherto the discussion
of the question has consisted of little
more than individual opinions and ex
parte statements, and It is doubtful If
evidence can prove or disprove the doc
trine now being advanced. Experiment
is, from the nature of the case, out Of
the question because of the length of
time required and the general complex
ity Of the problem. II would seem that
the nearest approach to a solution
must rest on analogies derived from
other characters Of man himself and
from the lower animals. The study of
adaptive notifications 0he 'mod.flca-
tions' Of Lloyd-Morgan and the onto
genie variations Of OSBORN shows that
they thrive when exposed to the natu-
raj conditions among which they arose
SO long as these do not become ex-
cessive. tr..,
1.-THE wearing Of coverings for the
head affects the hair which is covered
in three ways-the natural forces of
sunlight. free ventilation and move
iment from wind are prevented, the
arteries which supply the skin of the
scalp and nOurish the hair follicles are
compressed and nutrition thereby di-
minished, and the headdress affords a
culture ground for micro organisms,
being also itself impregnated with
them. The absence for the time being
OF the germicidal effect Of the suns
rays and OF movement of air and the
warmth and moisture Of the contained
air are just those conditions which
would be chosen for the culture Of
those low vegetable organisms. Very
much OF the premature badness of
men is due to dandruff tSeborrhoea sic
ca caplllitiD, disorder of the seba-
ceous glands characterized by excessive
secretion OF sebum and its accumula-
ton In crusts with an admixture of
eplthelial debris. which leads to de
struction OF the hair bulbs, and this
disease is essentially microbeim origin
From these various points OF view il
seems TO be indicated that the wearing
OF coverings for the head slowly dimin
ishes the vgor Of the hair. If this
theoretical side OF the matter cann0
be demonstrated. but is only extremely
probable. the practical outcome of It Il
no less beset with difficulties.
change OF custom, IL desirable at all
Is less called for in the case Of womer
than of men, for In the former the
headgenr Is mostly Of light texture
and covers very small portion OF this
vertexs &C any rate in modern times
and n much larger surface is left ex
posed TO sunlight and air than in the
case OF mon. In addition 10 this fact
it is to be Remembered that the evi
dence for decline In tie growth OF hail
is much less in women than in men
Those whom the practical matter
chiefly concerns are children Of botl
sexes, young adults ana oil male
adults. and TO these the rcformer'
speak from sound physiological basis
Whether OF not their advice viii b'
taken or ignored as counsel OF per
fectiou remains to be seen. @-
YCertain objections to 1t may be an
ticipateda and removed. First, 1t vii
be declared to produce colds 1t 4
most unfortunate that this name 1
given 70 what modern medicine call
'catarrh' The belief that colds ar
produced by exposure to drafts or coll
winds is dying hard and is fortile'
by the old name so long applied &
them. but It is to stultify the grea
| teachings OF bacteriology to invok
some casual draft as the cause of dis
orders Of which a nasal catarrh is
type. This danger may be entirel.
dlsregarded. It would indeed be 70
the benefit Of the public IN more way
than one II they became imbued wit
the knowledge that pathogenic bacteri
OF some undetermined species are tn
efficient cause OF al catarrhs. Second
| ly it may be feared that inhammator.
complaints, such as neuritis or 'rheu
matism in the head, would arise fron
uncoyering the head. This is highly i'm
/ probable considering how large a SUI
face of the head is always uncovere
and that there is no greater protection
from hair in the parts uncovered tha
there is on the vertex. Thirdly. ther
/ is undoubtedly some danger. even Il
temperate climates. from exposure o
the head to great sun heat, and agains
this danger special precautions are an
always would be taken. Fourthly. ther
is the danger from septic organic mat
ter In towns. This can hardly be reca
oned as important, for the area whic
is necessarily exposed to it is inconsid
erable. and proper hygiene OF the hal
would render it unimportant Fifthly
injury TO the texture Of the hair fror
heat and cold winds is feared. and ithi
again is negligible In view OF the fac
that the already uncovered parts OF tn
head are better provided with vigorou
| hair than the covered narts. Whethe