Hair may be considered a vegetation from the surface of the body. In a
state of health, hairs are insensible, and it is more than probable that
they possess no nerves, and that the circulation is carried on in the same
manner as in plants. In the bulb or root of the hair, however, the vessels
that promote this circulation are numerous, and there we may trace the
diseases that affect this beauteous ornament of mankind, more especially
in the Caucasian race. Long hair, of course, requires more nutriment than
scanty locks, and some physicians have been of opinion that their great
length debilitates. Dr. Parr affirms that he has observed symptoms of
plethoric congestion to arise after long hair had been suddenly cut off.
Vauquelin has made curious experiments on this substance. A solution of
black hair has deposited a black matter containing bitumen, sulphur, and
iron; and alcohol extracted from the same coloured hair a whitish and a
grayish-green oil. Red hair yielded whitish matter and a blood-red oil.
White hair contained phosphate of magnesia, affording a proof of the
disposition towards the formation of calcareous matter in old age. When
hair becomes suddenly white under the shock of a severe moral impression,
Vauquelin is of opinion that this phenomenon is to be attributed to the
sudden extrication of some acid, as the oxymuriatic acid is found to
whiten black hair. Parr thinks that this accident may be owing to an
absorption of the oil of the hair by its sulphur, as in the operation of
whitening woollen cloths.
The _plica_ is a curious and disgusting malady, that has been considered a
disease of the hair, which, according to vulgar report, secreted and shed
blood. This affection is common and endemic in Poland; hence the term
_Polonica_ that has been given to it. The invasion of this pestilence has
been traced to the irruption of the Moguls, from 1241 to 1287, chiefly
under the command of Cayuk, grandson of Yenghiz. The most absurd tales
were then related of the manner in which this dreaded infection was
propagated. Spondanus affirms that it arose from the waters having been
poisoned by venomous plants. Pistorius and Pauli relate that these waters
were corrupted by the great number of human hearts that the Moguls cast in
rivers and in wells. This supposition arose from the unheard-of acts of
barbarity perpetrated by the ferocious invaders on the wretched population
of Prussia, Poland, Hungary, and Transylvania. Their refined cruelty has
been depicted by Gebhardi, in his history of Hungary, in the most glowing
language.
Other historians assert that the plica originated in the East; such is the
opinion of Stabel, Spreugel, and other writers. Rodrigo de Fonseca relates
that the Indians, after drinking certain waters, were attacked with a
disease in which the hair became agglomerated and matted in the most
disgusting manner. Erndtel attributes the malady in Poland to the
gluttonous consumption of horseflesh. However this may be, Poland has been
ever considered the country most exposed to this visitation.
This disease affords a convincing proof of the vascularity of the hair,
since it tumefies, augments in capacity so as to allow an evident
circulation of blood, as the hairs will often bleed when divided with the
scissors. Dr. Kerckhoffs regards the malady as the mere result of the
custom among the filthy Poles of letting the hair grow to an immense
length, of never combing or cleaning it, and always keeping the head
covered with a woollen or leathern cap. Hence he observes that the rich
are generally exempt from the affection which particularly prevails
amongst the Jews. With this view of the disorder, he thinks that
cleanliness and the excision of the matted hair are sufficient to effect a
cure.
It is, however, more than probable that other causes occasion this
horrible disease; and there is but little doubt that the system is
affected by a particular virus. In many instances affections of the head
complicate it; although it is likely that they may result from the
constant irritation of the scalp, that sympathizes so powerfully with the
membranes of the brain.
The different names given to the _plica_ indicate more or less the ideas
that prevail regarding its nature. The Poles call it _gwozdiec_ or
_gwodziec_, which signifies a _nail_ that splits the wood into which it is
driven. In the district of the Roxolans it is termed _koltun_, _a stake_.
In Germany superstitious fancies have also given it various curious
denominations. It is called _alpzopf_ and _schraitelzopf_, as being the
result of the _malefices_ of vampires and incubi. By some it is asserted
that the Moravians, natural enemies of the Poles, not having been able to
conquer them by their arms, had recourse to magical art to inflict this
scourge: hence they term it _mahrenflechten_, _mahrenwichtung_. To this
day it is called _hexenzopf_ and _bichteln_, or unbaptized, alluding, no
doubt, to the Jews, who were accused of having introduced the disorder in
the deadly hate they bore the Christians; hence was it also known by the
name of _Judenzopf_ (_Coma Judaeorum_).
Amongst the whimsical ideas to which the _plica_ has given rise, the most
extraordinary effort of the imagination was that of Hercules Saxoniae. He
maintained that the fabulous description of the heads of the Gorgons and
the Furies was derived from this affection: "_Caput Gorgoneum, caput
Furiarum, vera humana capita fuisse, et fictitiis poetarum occasionem
praebuisse_."
There are instances on record of infants being born with this loathsome
malady. Davidson attributes this circumstance to the mental impressions of
the mother: "_Si ita matris ac nutricis superstitioni placere libuerit_."
The length of the matted hair in plica is frequently considerable:
Bachstrom relates the case of a Prussian woman whose hair extended beyond
the sides of her bed, and she was in the habit of turning it over to make
a quilt of it; Caligerus saw a man in Copenhagen whose clotted locks were
six feet three inches in length; and Rzaczyinski gives an account of a
woman whose hair measured six ells. In the museum of Dr. Meckel, at Halle,
is to be seen a specimen of the disease eight feet long. The beard and the
hair of other parts of the body are equally liable to these attacks; while
the affection has been observed in horses, dogs, and other animals. A
curious case is related on this subject by Dr. Schlegel: A drunken
coachman was carried away by a pair of spirited young horses, who
precipitated themselves, with the fragments of the broken carriage, into
the Moskwa. One of the animals was drowned; but the other contrived to
extricate itself, and swam ashore. It continued sick for a considerable
time, and, on its convalescence the plica broke out in its entire coat.
The assertion that the hairs become endowed with sensibility in this
disorder is unfounded. The pain is experienced in the root or bulb; thus a
painful sensation is occasionally felt when a lock of hair has been turned
back under the nightcap. There is little doubt that the plica is to be
attributed to a specific virus, which pervades the whole system unless
successfully treated. The most serious accidents have arisen from
neglecting it; and Starnigelio gives the following horrible account of its
ravages. "Magno omnium malo magnoque cruciatu divagatur: infringit ossa,
laxat artus, vertebras eorum infestat. Membra conglobat et retorquet;
gibbos efficit, pediculos fundit, caputque aliis atque aliis succedentibus
ita opplet, ut nequaquam purgari possit. Si cirri raduntur, humor ille et
virus in corpus relabitur, et affectos, ut supra scriptum est, torquet;
caput, manus, pedes, omnes artus, omnes juncturas, omnes corporis partes
exagitat."
Amongst the various specifics recommended for the cure of plica, is the
_lycopodium_, hence called _herba plicaria_; the _vinca_, or _perventia_.
The [Greek: daphnoeides] and [Greek: kamai daphne] of the Greeks was also
extolled, possibly from its supposed powers in cases of incantation,
whence Apuleius calls it "_victoria, quod vinceret pervinceretque injuriam
temporis_." This is the plant for which Rousseau felt such a predilection,
that in after life he never beheld it without experiencing a delightful
recollection of the pleasures of his boyhood. Its flowers are considered
the symbol of virginity, and in Flanders are still called _Maegden-palm_.
In Etruria maidens are crowned with a wreath of it on their funerals.
The decay and fall of the hair is an accident of frequent occurrence. This
unpleasant drawback on vanity has been termed _alopecia_, from the Greek
word [Greek: alopex], _vulpes_, a _fox_; this animal and the wolf being
said to lose their hair and become bald sooner than any other quadruped.
The Arabian writers were impressed with the same belief, and named the
affection _daustaleb_, literally the _wolf disease_. Baldness is more
frequent in males than in females; and it has been observed, that
emasculated subjects are exempt from its visitation.
Amongst the singular anomalies that characterize our ideas, the respect in
which hair (naturally unclean unless most carefully attended to) was held
at various periods is as singular as the fond devotion with which it is
treasured when having belonged to the objects of our affections. In
ancient Rome neglected hair was the badge of bondage, and slaves were
distinguished by the _capillum passum, fluxum, et intonsum_. Free men, on
the contrary, took great care of it; and the term _caesaries_ is said to be
derived from the frequency of its cutting, while _coma_ alluded to the
great attention paid to its ornamental appearance. The Gauls wore long
hair, and their country was thence called _Gallia Comata_. The German
chiefs, deprived of their rank and power, were shorn of their locks as a
mark of degradation and loss of strength. Shaving the heads of criminals
is to this day considered ignominious.
Hair, most unquestionably, constitutes the proudest ornament of female
beauty; and clustering locks, compared both by the ancients and the
Oriental poets to the growth of grapes, has ever been considered a
_desideratum_ at the female toilet, artificial means to curl it having
been resorted to from time immemorial, even by men. We find Virgil
speaking contemptuously of Aeneas for the care he took of his locks:
Vibratos calido ferro, myrrhaque madentes.
The Romans called a man who thus frizzled himself, _homo calamistratus_.
Crisp and curled ringlets were ever admired, and Petrarch thus describes
them:
Aura che quelle chiome bionde e _crespe_
Circondi, e movi, e se mossa de loro
Soave mente, e spargi quel dolce oro
E poi'l raccogli, e'n bei nodi _l'increspe_.
Apuleius maintains, that if Venus were bald, though circled by the graces
and the loves, she would not please even swarthy Vulcan. Petronius, in his
description of Circe, describes her tresses naturally curling, and falling
negligently over her shoulders, which they entirely covered. Apuleius
praises her trailing locks, thick and long, and insensibly curling,
dispersed over her divine neck, softly undulating with carelessness. Ovid
notices those beauties who platted their braided hair like spiral shells.
Petronius, to give an idea of a perfect beauty, says, that her forehead
was small, and showed the roots of her hair raised upwards. This fashion,
adopted by the Chinese, was not long ago a modish _coeffure_ in France.
Lucian, however, makes Thais say of a rival courtezan, "Who can praise
her person, unless he is blind? Does she not draw up her scanty hair on
her large forehead?"
The ancients also perfumed their hair, especially on festivals, with
various ointments, composed of the spikenard and different balsams. They
also occasionally painted it with a bright yellow. Unhappy must have been
the poor slaves who had to attend a Roman lady's toilet; if a single
ringlet was displaced, the scourge was applied, and the _cow-skin_ of our
West Indian planters, the _Taurea_ ("_scutica de pene taurino_") brought
into play; and not unfrequently the head of the offender was broken with
the steel mirror that betrayed their negligence to the impatient fair one.
As we are on the subject of female ingenuity in endeavouring to spread
their nets more cunningly, it may be some comfort to our modern coquettes
to know that antiquity seems to sanction the use of rouge, notwithstanding
the fate of Jezabel. Plautus tells us that the Roman dames daubed their
faces with the "_fucus_, compound of white lead and of vermilion:" hence
were they called _fucatae_, _cerusatae_, and _minionatae_. Various cosmetics
were also employed, and, when at home, their faces were preserved with a
coat of paste, the skin having been previously rubbed with a pumice-stone,
and then washed with asses' milk. Poppaea, the wife of Nero, had five
hundred asses milked every day for her baths; and when she was exiled, a
reduction of her establishment to fifty asses was considered a severe
chastisement. Patches were also worn, of various shapes and dimensions,
even by men; and Pliny tells us of one Regulus, a lawyer, who put a patch
upon his right or left eye as he was going to plead for plaintiff or
defendant.
The ancients also wore a certain hair-powder, a custom that was only
revived in Europe in the seventeenth century, since it appears that this
filthy fashion was brought in vogue at the fair of St. Germain, in 1614,
by some beautiful ballad-singers.
In ancient mythology, hair was the symbol of life. All dead persons were
supposed to be under the jurisdiction of the infernal deities, and no man
could resign his life until some of his hair was cut off. Euripides
introduces Death going to cut off some of the hair of Alcestis, when
doomed to die instead of her husband Admetus; and Virgil describes Dido
unable to resign her life, from her hair having been cut off by
Proserpine, until Iris was sent by Juno to perform the kind office:
"Hunc ego Diti
Sacrum jussa fero, teque isto corpore solvo."
Sic ait, et dextra crinem secat; omnis et una
Dilapsus, calor, atque in ventos vita recessit.
Locks of hair were suspended over the door of the deceased, to show that
the family were in mourning. On these occasions, the hair was torn, cut
off, or shaved. It was then sometimes strewed over the dead body, or cast
on the funeral pile. On the demise of great men, whole cities and
communities were shorn, while animals shared a similar fate. Admetus, on
the death of Alcestis, ordered this operation to be performed on his
chariot horses: and when Masistius was slain by the Athenians, the
Persians shaved themselves, their horses, and their mules. Alexander, not
satisfied with this testimony of grief, ordered the very battlements of a
city to be knocked down, that the town might look bald and shorn of its
beauty.
While in some cases bald heads were expressive of affliction, in others
long hair denoted grief; Joseph allowed his hair to grow during his
captivity; and Mephibosheth did the same when David was banished from
Jerusalem. Juvenal informs us that mariners, on their escape from
shipwreck, shaved their heads; and Lycophron describes long and neglected
hair as a sign of general lamentation.
To be shaved by barbers was a proof of cheerfulness; but to cut off one's
own hair denoted mourning. Hence Artemidorus informs us that for a man to
dream of shaving himself was a presage of some calamity. However, this
ceremony may, in its signification, be attributed to the customs of the
various nations. Where the hair was generally worn short, its length
indicated grief, and _vice versa_. The filth of long and neglected hair
might also have been considered a proper and respectful mark of
tribulation; for the ancients fancied that rolling themselves in the dirt
was a convincing proof of affection; and we see Oeneus besmearing
himself with nastiness on the death of his son Meleager:
Pulvere canitiem genitor, vultusque seniles
Foedat humi fusos, spatiosumque increpat aevum.
Shaving was also a nuptial ceremony, when virgins presented their hair to
Venus, Juno, Minerva, Diana, and other propitious divinities. At
Troezene virgins were obliged to sacrifice their hair to Hippolytus, the
son of Theseus, who died for his chastity. The Megarensian maidens
presented them to Sphinoe, daughter of Alcathous, who died a virgin.
Statius records this ceremony, when speaking of Minerva's temple:
Hic more parentum
Insides, thalamis ubi casta adolescerat aetas,
Virgineas libare comas; primosque solebant
Excusare toros.