Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 81. (Budapest 1989)

Pap, I. ; Józsa, L.: A rare hair developmental abnormality (pili multigemini) and lousiness on hair remains from Medieval grave

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 81. Budapest, 1990 p. 251 -259. A rare hair developmental abnormality (pili multigemini) and lousiness on hair remains from a Medieval grave by I. PAP & L. JÓZSA, Budapest I. PAP & L. JÓZSA: A rare hair developmental abnormality (pili multigemini) and lousiness on hair remains from a Medieval grave. - Annlshist-nat. Mus. nam. hung. 1989,81:251-259. Abstract - The authors found several abnormalities on the hair remains of a 15 ± 2 years old girl from the 16-17th century cemetery of Pápa - Kéttomyulak from Hungary. They analysed the light, polarization and scanning electron microscopic images of these hair anomalies. Trichorrhexis nodosa was found on some singles of hair. Some hair bore dried nit of head-louse. A proportion of the hair proved to be pili multigemini, a rare developmental abnormality. With 4 photoplates. INTRODUCTION Because of its chemical composition keratin forming hair is very resistant to physical and chemical effects. This resistance is further enhanced by the microstructure of hair, namely, by the grouping of keratosed cells making up hair. The hair of dead bodies buried in ground remains intact for decades. Mummies and bog corpses can have their hair preserved for centuries or for millennia. RUFFER (1914) was the first to report the hair examination of Egyptian royal mummies and he managed to find nits of head-lice on the single hair of one of these mummies. More recently several authors gave account on quite frequent lousiness on the hair of Inca mummies and of bog bodies (DISSELHOFF 1972). The microscopic and electron microscopic analysis of hair is not a routine examination carried out on recent or on historical material (GABOR & al. 1978). The lesion of hair can be characteristic or pathognostic for some diseases - especially for hereditary ones (Menkes syndrome). In other cases the deformation of single hairs is not pathognostic but frequent in the given clinical pattern (hypothyreosis, vitamin deficiency, etc.). Since earliest times hair have had not only primary cosmetic and sexual roles but primitive societies attributed magic characteristic to it as well (Samson, fabulous characters of extraordinary muscle power, etc.). The bills of Stephan I punished with haircut those who missed to go to church on Sundays because of laziness (Bill IX Code I) and those who were whispering or chatting during mass (Bill XIX Code XIX). Free people and servants fornicating with the servants of others had to face the same punishment (Bill XXVIII Code I). Crop was a wide-spread punishment and discrimination in the Middle Ages (MAGYARY-KOSSA 1931, WOLFF 1952, MOLLER 1960). „Hunting or head-searching for lice" factually nothing else but delousing was a kind of tender indulging act at the animal breeding nomadic peoples of Eurasia and Northern Asia. Without citing the large literature of this topic we may state that „head-searching" is a very frequent motive in the literature and art of the Turkish and Mongol peoples (LÁSZLÓ 1970, VARGYAS 1980). The legend of Saint Ladislas and its depicting in 13-15th century tapestry is not only surviving relics of „head-searching" in Hungarian history but it also indicates that this custom was probably practised in the Arpad period as well. From this we may conclude on wide-spread head-lousiness. We know that the Hungarians at the Conquest and Arpad period were wearing long hair in pigtails first then long hair was falling about their shoulders. From the 13th century men had their hairs curled with iron around their ears and crimped with eggs. From the 12-13th century women probably made use of curling iron, too, and their hair locks were often screwed up (KULCSÁR 1967).