| Abstract: | Comparative examinations on the hairs of laboratory animals
In the white mouse the bristle hairs were on the average 8mm, in the awn hairs 7mm, and the fur hairs 6.5mm long. The values for the white rat were 19mm for the bristle hairs, 11mm for the awn hairs, and 7mm for the fur hairs; they were thus markedly longer. The hairs of the guinea-pig and of the rabbit were two- and three times as long. Hair thickness—especially at the thickest point—was distinctly different for the bristle and awn hairs, while these measurements of the fur hairs did not differ very much among these species. The size of the cuticle scales did not differ much between mouse, rat and rabbit. The medulla of the bristle and awn hairs of mouse and rat and that of the awn hair of the guinea-pig looked similar. However, the medulla of the rabbit was easily distinguished from the other species. The medulla of the fur hairs was constricted only in the mouse and rat. It is possible to identify with certainty the hairs of these four species if complete hair samples are available and if the microscopic measurements given here are taken into consideration. |
