OR, A TREATISE ON PILE. 27 



5. Centre. 



1. Solid. 



2. Canal. 



1. Granulated substance and pigment cells. 



2. " " without " " 



3. Void. 

 2. FOLLICLE. 



1. Sheath. 



2. Vessels, &c. 



Of the Button. When a hair is drawn out of the head, there is generally found, at its 

 lower extremity, a swelling ; this is the button. It is spheroidal, ovoidal, spindle, pestle, 

 or club-shaped, or amorphous; is generally white and translucent, but sometimes dark- 

 colored and opaque. 



This part had (in common with the follicle) been called the "bulb;" but Henle (who 

 has o-iven an elaborate account of it) 'has conferred the name of button. 



O / 



Of the Cells of the Button. We drew a fully developed hair from the head of an oval- 

 haired lad of 14, who was in good health, and, placing it immediately under the micro- 

 scope, saw in the button numerous globular cells, imbedded in a white translucent 

 substance. Fig. 16 a represents this object. The length of this button is T 3 7 4 g- of a milli- 

 meter ; the diameter, -j^ , while that of the shaft is T | T . The cells do not exceed in 

 diameter the ^-J-g- of a millimeter. 



Upon recurring to this object again, after the lapse of a few days, those previously well- 

 defined cells had disappeared, leaving irregularly shaped lines and shadows, as represented 

 in Fig. 16 b. 



Another button, drawn from the same head, and examined immediately, had no cells, 

 but bore the appearance represented in Fig. 17. 



Of the Normal Shape of a Button. From numerous examinations, we are of opinion 

 that the hair of the head of the oval-haired species, when the subject is in health, and the 

 integximent is in a normal condition, and fully developed, is well represented by figures 

 16 a-, 16 b, and 17. But we must not expect to find it always to conform to this outline, 

 from which it varies in very many instances, sometimes to a considerable degree, as will 

 be shown in the progress of this work. 



As to the color of the button, Henle represents it, when belonging to healthy hairs that 

 are colored, to be, for the most part, colored also, and when found upon grey (colorless) 

 hairs, to be white. 



But, according to our experience, the button of a healthy hair is very apt to be white 

 and translucent, even when the hair is colored. But this translucency diminished when 

 the hair had been long drawn. 



Note. Care must be taken not to confound the button with the follicle, which will be 



hereinafter described. The follicle never draws out of the head of the oval-haired species. 



It must be dissected out or obtained by maceration. But the shaft often draws out, leaving 



the button in the follicle. Fig. 18 represents one of these, from the head of His Excel- 



7 



