INHERITANCE 
OF BALDNESS _. 
Various Patterns Due to Heredity and Sometimes Present at Birth—A Sex-limited 
Character—Dominant in Man—Women Not Bald Unless 
They Inherit Tendency from Both Parents! 
DoroTHY OSBORN 
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 
HERE are several distinct pat- 
terns of baldness. They vary 
in extent from the small spot, 
not uncommon, to entire bald- 
ness which is exceptional. Among the 
most common patterns are complete 
baldness on the top of the head, that 
involving only the crown, that giving 
the appearance of an extremely high 
forehead, and that covering the top 
and, back -of -the:, heads: The: hair 
associated with baldness may be thin, 
normal or heavy. 
Many theories have been advanced 
as to the cause of baldness. Some of 
these are diseases of the scalp, ill 
health, pressure of tight hatbands on 
the scalp, and heredity. Recently an 
article appeared in a popular magazine 
declaring that baldness is entirely due 
to the indiscriminate wearing of hats, 
not necessarily tight. Not baldness 
itself, but the shape of the head is 
inherited and in wearing hats the con- 
sequent pressure on the blood vessels 
nourishing the scalp causes the loss of 
hair. The main argument in support 
of this theory was that women never 
become bald. 
In collecting data for this paper all 
types of hair were recorded as thin, 
normal or heavy. Questions were also © 
asked as to how long heavy hair was 
retained, the pattern and time of 
appearance of baldness if present, the 
kind of hat worn, and what was used to 
prevent baldness. The results show 
that baldness is undoubtedly hereditary. 
Two families with exceptionally heavy 
hair were traced, and no baldness could 
be found in either one. Ordinary tight 
hats had been worn by the men, which 
had not affected the persistence of the 
hair. Incase the hair was exceptionally 
heavy in youth more than a normal 
amount was retained to an advanced 
age. 
NO BALDNESS HERE 
A head of thick, fine hair, at the age of 
33. Father of this subject is now 61 
years old with abundant hair. Both 
father and son wear tight hats. 
There is no baldness in the family 
history. (Fig. 1.) 
In the first chart, III 3 had very 
poor health, but until her death at 
thirty-five her hair was always re- 
markably heavy. Ill health had had 
no noticeable effect. Her niece, IV 12, 
now twenty years old, who originally 
1 Contribution No. 48 from the Department of Zoology and Entomology, O.S. U. This work 
~was done in a course in genetics under the direction of Prof. William M. Barrows. 
347 
