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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1916)
The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Paoe ALL 77JT Fif P71 1 OVL?Uf LMJUh : i Why There's NO-NEED OF lOXJH BEING ALB Science Declares That Your Scalp Will RETAIN ITS HAIR If You Will Only Give It a FIGHTING CHANCE By WILLIAM BRADY, M.D. B AD air, Vanity and laziness are the three common faotora ot that execrable condition, alopecia pre- mature, or denudation of man'a dome. ' Indian living their own life sever craw bald. Women following the fashion i seldom grow bald. In both cases the ecalp receives plenty ot fresh air, and freth air It the moat efficient ot all practical germi cides. ; ' Men wear bate nine-tenths ot the time, not because they need protection against cold weather or Intense sunlight but because they are too proud to fight vain eustom, too cowardly to defy the batter. If here and there some rare and admirable soul strides abroad un bonneted his envious fellow creatures take refuge In mean, low-down ridicule, cheered on and encouraged by the man round the corner with a big stock of male millinery to unload. "(Professor Sabouraad determined some time ago that dandruff Is caused by germs. He Identified a minute organism, to which be gave the name of micro-bacillus of , Babouraud. that he found present in practically ' ever case of dandruff. Professor Lassar, another famous skin specialist. proved that dandruff is contagious, by taking dandruff scales from the head of a student who was losing bis hair. He made a pomade of them with vaseline, rubbed the pomade Into the back of a guinea-pig, and in due time saw the pig go bald. It is a familiar thing tor a young husband or wife to contract dandruff after marriage. And that the barber ts the ehlef distributor of dandruff germs and con sequent baldness we cannot doubt This1 little micro-bacillus of Babouraud burrows down the hair shaft, yery gradually yet very industriously, until it eventually reaches the hair follicle or root, where it takes up its abode and eata away at the root until the hair becomes first sick and puny and finally lose all TlUUty, falling out, never to return. The ' ' :! --nefarious work t a few billion micro-bacilli upon a needle, only that the needle does in a few seconds what the micro-bacillus requires months and years to accomplish. When we wish to destroy an individual hair or many ot them for keeps there Is but one known means of safely doing so, and that is the electric needle. This ts an ordi nary No. 6 or No. 7 Jeweler's eteel broach or a platinum needle with a slight bulb at the point, attached to the negative pole of a galvanic battery supplying a four or five railltampere current. The needle is gently Insinuated down alongside the shaft of the hair until it penetrates the follicle or root, when a stream of white bubbles comes to the surface and the hair comes awsy with out pulling or giving pain. This, of course, is a tedious process an operator does well to destroy a dosen to twenty hairs at a sitting. But Just the same tt is not one whit more efficacious than the micro-bacillus ot Babouraud when the latter agent is kept protected with a suitable bat Lack ot fresh air, darkness, absence of the actinic or disinfectant action of sunlight, plus uneleanlinsss these contributing factors aid the micro-bacillus In his ruthless work. Tou may note the succeeding stages of the process In any case. First there is an increasing outness of scalp and hair a seborrboea, as doctors call it, an ex cessive flow of the natural oil secreted by the sebaceous or oil glands which lie about each hair follicle and supply the necessary oil ot the hair. This excessive secretion of oil is a response ot the glands to the stimulating 'effect of infection. Perhaps if the hat were thrown in the ring and left there the process would go no further, for the sebum or oU itself possesses some germicidal power; but this power is feeble, at best and hence readily counter balanced by the contributing factors Just mentioned lack of air, light and cleanliness. We say nothing here of the Interference with nutri tion of the scalp by rigid bat bands. Even the derby or silk hat would hardly impair nutrition If it had no roof. Few heads are eo regularly spheroid or ovoid as to suffer from the pressure of hat bands; the normal irregularities of the outline of the skull cap suffice to protect the arteries and veins of the scalp from serious pressure. The second stage ot the process is that of dandruff. At first it Is an oily, greasy dandruff, seborrboea, oleosa, or stearrhoea, or pityriasis, as it is variously known. It may assume the form ot a greasy coating on the scalp.. After a time It generally becomes scaly, dry dandruff (seborrhoea sicca). The oily dandruff is usually not so itchy as the dry, C Three Ways of Preventing Baldness. A -JWear a hat at little) at possible so as to give your hair plenty of fresh air. B If you are a man, newer use a comb. C -Massage the scalp systematically with the finger tips. How We Learned to Use ALMANACS THH first almanacs were of Arabian origin, and reflected the local genius of the peo ple in a very striking way. They ' served 'as models in other countries for hundreds of year. The oldest known copy of such a work is preserved In the British Museum, and dates back to the time of Rameses the Great of Egypt who lived 1400 years before the birth ot Christ. It Is written ou papyrus, in red ink, and covers a period of six years. The entries relate to religious ceremonies, to the fates Ot children born on given days, and to the regulation of busi ness enterprises in accordance with planetary Influences. -DO nothing at all this day." is one ot the warnings. "If thou seest anything at all this day it wUl be fortunate," is another entry. "Look not at a rat this day," "Wash not with water this day," "Go out not before daylight this day," are some of the additional cautions. This almanac was found in an old tomb, and fs supposed to have been burled with its Egyptian owner when , he was converted into a mummy for future explorers to dig up and dissect in the interest ot science and literature. Next after this in point of age among the existing specimens ot ancient almanacs are some com posed in the fourth century. They are Roman Church calendars, giv ing the names of the saints and other religious information. The Baltic nations, who were not versed in papyrus-making, bad calendars engraved on axe-helves, walking sticks, and other articles of personal use. The days were notched with a broad mark tor Bun day, and the saints' days were sym bolized in various devices, such as a harp tor St David's, a gridiron for St Lawrence's, a lover's knot for St Valentine's, and so on. The Saxon almanacs are numerous and contain historical as weU as ecclesi astical entries. - It is possible to trace in these curious records all the changes ot popular belief and taste. They were prepared to meet the current demand and to constitute a syste matic story of what took place la successive periods and bow knowledge increased with the re volving years. We owe to them most that we know of the people for whom they were made and by whom they were endorsed. sourf-llke dandruff. The dry form of dandruff algnlfles that the my riads ot micro bacilli are getting In their deadly work upon the scalp the oil glands are already begin ning to weaken under the unrelent ing gnawing of the microbes, and it Is at this time that the hair be gins to come out on the brush. Mot always, though. Some Indi viduals have dandruff in the most annoying degree tor years and years and still preserve a fair thatch ot hair. But these are ex ceptions. In the majority ot cases dry dandruff is the sure precursor ot alopecia prematura, or "drought ot the coco." If Lester's dandruff pomade, above mentioned, was capable of producing baldness in a gulaea-plg, then it is not at all fanciful to ex pect immunising vaccination with strains of the same species ot mtcrobacuius to relieve dandruff. In practise such relief is common. By way ot prevention of oily or dry dandruff and baldness perhaps the most Important item Is mas sage of the scalp. Massage is a sort ot almost-as-good substitute for scalp exercise,, the human ani mal baring lost bis capacity to shake the scalp and wiggle the ears. Massage may be given with the finger tips as well as with a good brush. This Is the proper way to massage the scalp: Place the palms on either side of scalp, push the fingers of the one band toward those of the other band, thus rais ing a roll ot scalp between the ap proaching finger-tips. Go over the entire scalp systematically In this way until it glows with warmth and renewed circulation. In brushing, use a long-bristled brush and brush vigorously, giving about a hundred strokes to the scalp each day. The bftuh should be as frequently cleansed as the ecalp itself, and after washing the brush it should be stood in the direct sunlight to dry and be sterilised. There are brushes with rubber air pads in which the bristles are imbedded. Another excellent brush is ' one with removable, perforated bristle-base, permitting easy cleansing. As for combs, none is necessary for men's hair; women should use only coarse, rounded toothed combs, never fine or sharp-toother combs. How often should the scalp be washed or sham pooed f As often as necessary for cleanliness every day in some cases, twice a week in others, twice e month in others. Why people should hesitate to wash the scalp, yet never fear a dally bath, is one of those Inexplicable mysteries bound up with the "catching cold" delusion. It all soap is rinsed from the hair, and only pure soap used in wasmng the scalp, and the balr thoroughly dried after the shampoo, and a wee bit ot oil, preferably purified petroleum oil (liquid petrolatum) is rubbed into tbe scalp (not the balr) following the washing, to replace the natural oil re moved, there can be no possible ill effect from a scalp shampoo. There is not one word to be said in favor of most ot the various balr remedies barbers recommend. Of course, there are remedies which relieve dandruff, whether oily or dry, Just as there are local remedies whloh will help many cases ot acne or other skin trouble. But it is notable that none of these remedies produce any appreciable Improvement without thor ough massage they must be patiently and regularly rubbed Into the scalp (not onto the balr) dally for periods of several week's in order to have any good effects, and this indispensable massage of tbe scalp In itself would, in all probability, accomplish tbe same results without the aid of the medicament However, there is no harm in mentioning one or two ot tbe remedies most highly commended by com petent authorities. Sulphur is suggested by Babou raud in the following form: Precipitated sulphur..... drama Alcohol (90 degrees) 2Vi drama Distilled water and rose water, enough to make 4 eunoee , A if air. in Its Home. A Surface of skin. C Hair stalk. C Oil gland, which becomes weakened by the unrelenting gnawing of the Sabouraud mi crobe. D Hair sheath. E Hair muscle. F Hair root, which the microbes grad ually eat away, causing the hair to die and fall out. Mix. Te be rubbed In between parted hair at night covering one-fourth of eoala thee oughly eaoh night, shake the bottle before using. The one drawback about all sulphur preparation e Is the somewhat disagreeable odor ot sulphur, bard to disguise. And it Is Insoluble, and hence cannot be sprayed upon the scalp Ilk certain other medica ments. For Instance, an aloobolio solution ot two per cent sallcyllo add or of a similar strength of resorcin may be sprayed forcibly upon the scalp by means of . a good atomizer whose downward bent tip is beld lightly In contact with the scalp. It convenience alone la not the chief thing to be considered either of the three medicaments mentioned would be most effectively employed in the form of an ointment which may be systematically rubbed into the scalp by parting the hair bare and there, without leaving the hair unpleasantly greasy. A little oint ment on the finger-tips and thorough but not too forci ble massaging with It W grow bald because we want to, not became we have to. W don't give our scalps a fighting chance. Why So Many SHOEMAKERS HAVE CONSUMPTION W HT are shoemakers so liable to tuberculosis T There is no reason why there should be any more hereditary predispo . sltlen to the disease among them than among any other class of workers. They are not as a ml bard drinkers, and they are well paid enough to afford comfortable homes and sufficient nourishment Neither can it be said that there is anything about the materials with which they work that facilitates the spread of germs of this disease. Tet the death rate from tubercu losis among the workers in the great shoe manufacturing centres ot England is about 85 per cent In excess of the average for other in dustries. And English scientists bave been making an exhaustive investigation to try to find out why GOOD for the NERVES to Read in Bed, but BAD for the EYES The diagram oa the right shows tbe con ditions under which tbe eye bas tq work when we reed In bed. Tbe crystalline lens is slightly tipped, tbe suspensory ligament strained end tbe vertical axis tnrown con siderably out ot plumb. By doing work they were never Intended to do the ciliary muscles which control tbe movements ot the eyeball are able, for a time at least, to prevent the blurred, distorted image which would otherwise be the result Just as a rubber band after being stretched a long time loses its elasticity and becomes unable to resume its normal posi tion, so will tbe ciliary muscles, if called upon for too much of thla abnormal work, become lax and unable to properly control the eyeballs. Eye specialists say that eyes which have been badly strained by too much reading in a reclining position are among the most difficult cases they are called upon to treat. The reason is that such eyes exhibit a cer tain light reflex, known to oculists as the "scissors movement," that is very hard to deal with. this should be so. ' . Their study leads them to be lieve that one reason for the prevalence of tuberculosis among shoemakers lies In the fatigue caused by the constant exercise of csre and attention in the execution of a number ot finely adjusted and rapid muscular movements. The men who cut tbe lasts have to bend over their cutting boards for hours at a time with their abdomens and lower ribs compressed and their chests cramped. No attitude could be more conducive to tuberculous. Add to this cramped position the fact that ehoemaking ia sedentary work carried on tor long hours in overcrowded factories which are often dark, dusty and poorly venti lated, and it is not bard to see bow so many shoemakers contract tuberculosis. To overcome these difficulties the English investigators urge the pas sage of laws regulating the lighting, heating and ventilation of shoe fac tories and prohibiting the dry sweeping which fills th air with irritating particles of dust Employers should be required to allow their men to stop work tor Intervals of fifteen minutes twice a day and play games or take gym nastic exercises in the open air. This, it is believed, would go a long way toward counteracting the harmful effect of the sedentary oc cupation and tbe cramped position. To deal with the actual cases or tuberculosis the novel suggestion is made of an industrial sanatorium where operative can carry on their trade under medical supervision for such hours as they are able, and earn wages in proportion. As health ia re-established working hours and earning capacity would be Increased, until finally normal hours could be safely undertaken in many cases and faotory lmploy msnt resumed. The plan presents the great ad vantage ot teaching the operative bow to carry on bis handicraft ua der hygienic coadltlons. Uow Reading in Bed Strains the Eyes. On the left, an eye with all its parts and the vertical axis o. the lens (XY) in their normal position. On the right, an eye strained by reading in bed. Note how the crystalline lens (C) is slightly tipped, the suspensory ligament (F) strained and the vertical axis (XY) thrown considerably out of plumb. This condition interferes with the proper action of the ciliary muscle (G) and the iris (E) and may ultimately result in injury to the optic nerve. Why It Would Be Very Hard to STOP EATING BREAD THERE are few bsbits out of which tbe average man or woman gets more real enjoyment than that of reading In bed. When the cares of the day are over and mind and body can both relax Is the time when one's favorite book or magazine Is most inviting, and an hour or so over its pages is often the beet preparation for a healthful, refreshing night's sleep. In fact physicians often recommend reading in bed to nervous patients who suffer from in somnia. But beneficial as the babit may be to the mind and nerves, It bas quite tbe opposite effect on tbe eyes. Oculists bate for a long time been puuled by a peculiar form of eye strain, wblrh Is 2 especially common among college students. Now they have decided that this is a direct result of the habit of reading In a reclining position. College students are more addicted to this habit than any other class of people. Not only do they enjoy a novel or magazine after they get into bed at night, but throughout the day much ot their reading la done while reclining on couches or divans. Just why this habit is so harmful to our eyee is clearly ahown by the accompanying diagrams. Tbe one on the left represents the eye with its various parts in ths posi tion nature Intended them to be for reading. The axis of the lens is, it will be seen, ex- .... A I , PROBABLY man would survive if the esrth never produced another grain of wheat. But he would not find it easy to get along without this useful grain, for tbe eating of bread and other things made from wheat flour is a habit to which be bas been sddicted for nearly five tboosand eers. Wheat, it is thought, was first grown in the valleys of tbe Tigris sod tbe Euphrates. Gradually it spre"4 to the Eat.t, and it la known that in China it was Cul tivated extensively as early ss 3000 B. C. Wheat formed tbe chief food of the people ot Biblical times. Tbe term "wheat" is derived from an old English word, "hivsete" meaning white. The wheat of to-day differs somewhat from that of early history. Through intensive cultivation and cross fertilisation it bas reached a high state of perfection. Wheat is tbe most widely known of the cereal grains. It is found wherever the white man bas penetrated. It Is grown on tbe Himalayan alopes ten thousand feet above aea level; oa the great centrel plain of North America; in the tropical countries of Africa and India. , We even find that a far north as the sixtieth parallel of latitude in Alaska, Puss la, Germany, Franc and Certt I", by the BUr Cempanr. Ortst Britain Ri England, thousands of scree ot wheat are harvested every year. - The fact that wheat can be readily adapted to various conditions of soil and climate makes it the most valuable of all cereal grains. There sre many different varieties ot wheat due to tbe differences ot soil and climate, but In general we divide it into two great classes: Winter or soft whsst sown in the Fall and harvested during the hot Sum mer monthsand Bprlng or hard wheat sown early in tbe Spring and harvested late in the Bummer. A grain of wheat is. composed of four parts; ths busk, which consists of five distinct layers of bran; tbe cereal layer, a thin membrane enclosing the starch cells, and the germ. During the milling process tbe brsn coats and the germs are removed. Graham flour is made by grinding the entire grain to a moderate grade ot, fineness. Entire wheat flour is made by grinding the grain and removing the three outer coats. If the germ were not removed from the flour, the color and the keeping qualities would be affected. There are tenty-four steps In the milling process, fhla Rrv4. from the time the wheat is weighed until it is sold as flour. The by-products, bran and middlings, ars sold to the farmer for the feeding ot cattle. There are over fifty varieties ot flour made, but we must classify it chiefly according to the kind of wheat Flour made from Bprlng wheat is commonly known ss bread flour. Bread flour la rich in gluten. Gluten bas the power of expansion after the addition of mois ture and heat and a flour rich ia gluten, as bread flour is, will produce a light loaf of bread. Flour made from Winter wheat ia commonly known as pastry flour. Pastry flour contains lea gluten and more starch than bread flour. Bread and pastry flour may be readily distinguished from each other. Bread flour is creamy la color and granular to the touch. Pastry flour is white in color and smooth like cornstarch. If a portion of this be squeezed between the banda the Impression of the Angers will remain. Flour should be kept in tightly sealed cans in a dry place. It is more economical in buying flour to get a good brand, even though tt does coet a half rent more a pound tbsn an unknot brand. I.