The medulla is the innermost layer of the hair shaft. This nearly invisible layer is the most soft and fragile, and serves as the pith or marrow of the hair. Some

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s don't have a medulla in their hair. The presence or absence of this layer and the characteristics of the medulla can aid taxonomists in identifying what taxa a hair comes from. Characteristics include whether the medulla contains air pockets as well as the

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

of the medulla. Scientists are still uncertain about the exact

role A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indi ...

of the medulla, but they speculate that it is primarily an extension that is more prominent in depigmented (grey or white) hair .James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005) ''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology'' (10th ed.). Saunders. Page 8. .

References

Hair anatomy {{Dermatology-stub

See also

References