The blood supply for the hair is very abundant.  There is a complete system of blood vessels encircling every one of the follicles, and besides this each papilla has a special distribution of blood to itself.  That part of the hair lying within the hair-follicle is called the root.  The lower end of the root, which swells out into a knob, named the bulb, is concave in shape underneath, so as to fit on top of the projecting papilla.  The shaft is the long stem of the hair, while its extreme end is termed the point.

By the aid of the microscope it may be seen that the hair itself on the outside is covered by a layer of scales—­the cuticle—­overlapping one another like the tiles on the roof of a house.  Beneath the cuticle is the fibrous part, consisting of many cells closely packed together.  In many instances the fibrous part takes up the whole interior, but in the centre of the coarser hair there is the medulla or pith, composed of very minute cells.  From this it follows that the hair is not a narrow tube, as is commonly supposed.  This mistake has arisen from the fact that, when viewed transversely, the colour of the central and outer part of the hair is different.

Having in this way become acquainted with the actual structure of the hair and of the hair-follicles, it will be desirable to consider somewhat briefly the management of the former.  We have already seen that the skin requires a good deal of attention in order to ensure the perfection of bodily health.  And although the hair does not fulfil such an important function, yet, on the other hand, it must not be neglected.  Even on the score of appearance alone, it has much claim for attention.  Many people would be vastly improved in this way were they only to visit their hairdresser more frequently.  It is very unsightly, to say the least of it, to see the hair straggling all over the back and sides of the neck, and the beard (if a beard be worn) with a wild, untidy look.  Besides this, in our semi-tropical climate, a little more care in this respect would be certainly conducive to coolness and comfort.

But in addition to these considerations, there is another very cogent reason why the hair should be more often attended to; and it is the fact that if it be kept of an ordinary length, somewhat frequent cutting promotes its growth.  There is more than one reason given as an explanation of this; indeed, there are at least three.  In the first place, the shorter the hair the less it is dragged on in its roots; secondly, its roots are prevented from becoming blocked at the mouth of the hair-follicles—­and lastly, the weight of the hair is considerably lessened.  From this it will be obvious that it is not the actual cutting of the hair in itself which is so beneficial in invigorating its growth, but that, by reason of the cutting, certain results follow which strengthen it greatly.