The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-22

paper articles, but would be living
in luxury on the fruits Of my
knowledge, surrounded by funk
eys who were waiting on me hand
and foot.
1t must be evident TO anyone
who goes around his fellow crea-
lures that nobody knows the cause
and cure of badness. Sit in the
back row of a movie theater, notice
the reflection Of the light on the
bald .domes and mark the neat
tons1res below the line where the
hair stops. If there were a good
treatment, you. would not see
them.
The best bet is that badness is
hereditary. The hair is extremely
sensitive TO hereditary influences.
Identical twins have hair that
swirls, one in one direction and the
other in the opposite. Naturally
curly hair curls with remarkable
similarity to that Of the father or
mother of the possessor. The num-
Der of waves and the position of
the waves is exactly the same.
The hereditary nature of hair
growth is shown in all Of the
lower animals.
Dogs of one species have, gen.
Grafton after generation, the same
hair color and distribution. So it
is very likely that badness is
hereditary. This is no comfort TO
anybody who has it, however, be-
cause by the time he begins to get
bald, there is nothing he can do
about his father or grandfather.
No Help for Badness
The hair roots are little cellular
structures and in a person who is
doomed to get bald, they begin to
atrophy at about the age of %.
Nobody who goes through the ex-
perience of having his hair come
out in wads can ever believe that
people begin to get bald at the age
Of %, but they do just the same
and nothing can stop the inevi-
table progress.
All the perfumes of Araby, all
the lights, all the electric heaters,
all the massage, all the gadgets,
all the shampoos, all the vitamins
and all the endocrines in the world
can be advocated, but II viii be IN
vain. Philosophy and resignation
are the only treatments that are
worthwhile.
| am referring now to a COM
mon form of badness. There is a
condition called alopecia arreata,
in which bald spots occur. 1t may
affect individuals at any age and
can be successfully treated.
The care of healthy hair is not
a matter of very much moment.
Those who give a great deal of
time and thought to their hair
probably overtreat it, rather than
undertreat it. The simplest forms
of soap and warm water are the
best for washing the hair, and
thorough washing should not be
done more than once a week.
Wetting Hair Harmless
Advice against wetting the hair
daily is quackery. | know a dozen
people-one of them being myself
who have immersed their hair
in water two or three times a day
for many years and who still have
a good, heavy crop Of hair.
Dandruff is a form Of seborrheic
dermatitis. For cleansing - ben
zine, followed by sweet oil or olive
oil. Soap and water are to be
avoided except once a week when
on Saturday night an ointment
containing salicylic acid. l part,
ammoniated mercury. 2 parts and
ointment, 80 parts, is rubbed in,
left all night and worked out with
warm water and green soap the
following morning.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. B.: Will you please give me
information on shingles? What is
its cause and is it contagious?
Answer: Shingles is an affec-
ton Of the nervous system, usu,
ally affecting those nerves that 20
around the skin of the chest or
trunk and causing a very painful
skin eruption in the form of a bis
ter. The cause is unknown, but it
is not contagious.