80 VEGETABLE PARASITES 



scribed, infiltrated, so to speak, through the hair, 

 rendering it so brittle as to break off close to the 

 skin. The disease has no popular name. It pro- 

 duces bald spots, when the hair is as cleanly re- 

 moved as by the very closest shaving, the skin not 

 showing any other signs of the disease. At first 

 there is some slight itching, and the hairs soon 

 commence to fall out. This may extend to every 

 hair upon the body. Generally, however, it is 

 confined to the head, and when occurring in a 

 young person, gives their scalp, as smooth as a 

 billiard-ball, a truly extraordinary appearance. 

 When it has lasted some time, the skin becomes 

 slightly puffy and parchment-like. It is not, ap- 

 parently, so contagious as the affections previously 

 spoken of. A patch of scalp quite destitute of 

 hair is an important matter, especially when below 

 where any head-gear will cover it, particularly for 

 young ladies. When the whole scalp is clear, and 

 the eyebrows gone, then it assumes still more im- 

 portance ; for, no matter what the deceptions of 

 fashion may be, we believe young ladies like to 

 have some real hair of their own. The ravages 

 of this parasite are hard to repair. Often the hair 

 ceases to grow again, or only in spots ; treatment 



