LESSON 5: Hair and textile fibers.

Differential kinds and parts of

hair and fibers and proper identification. Collection, preservation,
identification and transmittal of hair and fibers.

HAIR and FIBER

A hair may be defined as a slender threadlike
outgrowth from the follicles of the skin of mammals,
composed essentially of keratin and having three
anatomical parts: the root, the shaft, and the tip. It is
an appendage of the skin.

Root - portion which is embedded in the skin or the part

attached to the follicle.

Shaft - portion above the surface of the skin and is the

most distinctive part of the hair.

Tip – portion which is the distal end of an uncut hair

shaft.

The shaft is composed of:

1. Cuticle – is the outer covering of the hair. It consists of tough overlapping scales that point
toward the tip end.

2. Cortex - contains pigment granules and gives hair its color. It is the thickest layer of the shaft.

3. Medulla – is a hallow tube or the central canal that runs the length of the hair. Sometimes it is
present, sometimes it is not. The canal (medulla) is sometimes continuous, while in other cases it
is fragmented or interrupted.

Except for the Asian race, human head hairs usually have fragmented medullae or no medullae at
all. Among Asians, head hair generally has continuous medullae. Sometimes the hair found at a
crime scene is from an animal. This too may be helpful, for it is possible to identify the species.
Different species have different scale patterns on the cuticle of the hair. Animal hair has a
characteristically thicker medulla and cuticle than in human, since their hair is their means of
warmth.

MEDULLARY INDEX – is the ratio between the diameter of the medulla and diameter of the whole
hair. Human hair has a medullary index less than 0.5 while animal hair has a medullary index of more
than 0.5.
FIBERS

A fiber is the smallest unit of a textile material that has a length many times greater than its
diameter. Textile materials can be converted into yarns which are fibers that have been twisted together.
Fibers can occur naturally as plant and animal fibers, but can also be man-made. They are considered as a
form of trace evidence that can be transferred from the clothing of a suspect to the clothing of a victim
during the commission of a crime. These transfers can either be direct (primary) or indirect (secondary).
A primary transfer occurs when a fiber is transferred from a fabric directly onto a victim’s clothing,
whereas a secondary transfer occurs when already transferred fibers on the clothing of a suspect transfer
to the clothing of a victim.

Fibers are classified into:

1. natural fibers

2. man-made fibers or synthetic or artificial fibers

Subdivisions of Natural Fibers:

1. Vegetable fibers – these originated from plants and are made of cellulose. These are used in the
production of fabric and textile materials. Examples: cotton, flax (linen), ramie, jute, kapok.

2. Animal fibers – these are made of protein and the most frequently used in the production of
textile material is wool. Examples: alpaca, camel, cashmere, mohair, silk.

3. Mineral fiber – asbestos is a good example of this kind of fiber.

Man-made or synthetic fibers may be:

1. organic fiber - examples: polyester, nylon, acrylics, rayon

2. inorganic fiber – examples: fine wire filament, steel wool

Textile fibers can be tested by:

1. Burning or ignition test - the simplest preliminary macroscopic examination. This test determines
whether fiber is of animal or vegetable origin.

2. Fluorescence test

3. Microscopic examination

4. Chemical test – includes staining test and dissolution test