A STUDY OF RINGED HAIR

Abstract

An unusual banded appearance of the hair was described by Karsch, in 1846, under the name of Pili annulati.1Such "ringed hairs" have proved to be of rare occurrence, and the few cases thus far reported have not afforded material for an entirely satisfactory account of the nature and genesis of the condition.Because of the apparent infre- quency of the anomaly and some uncertainty as to its exact nature it seems desirable to report briefly on some cases that have recently been examined.These cases have all appeared in three families, one of which was being studied by the writers when the second was called to their attention by Dr. P. W. Whiting, of the University of Iowa, who generously supplied samples of hair for study.Dr. Whiting will take up elsewhere the heredity of this interesting condition.The third family has been in the practice of Dr. Martin F. Engman, Washington University, for about twenty years.So far as we have been able to find, only eighteen cases