Medicine: Eminently Prominent Boss

The American Medical Association was perturbed last week by a Manhattan report that an “eminently prominent doctor” had agreed to become boss of the U. S. cosmetic industry and by shrewd publicity to persuade U. S. women that beauty culture is a necessity of health. The report developed at the confused American Beauty Congress of the Beauty Industries Manufacturers’ Association. Members supply the 45,000 U. S. beauty “shoppes,” which do a gross business of $750,000,000 yearly in muds, creams, lotions, dyes, polishes, tweezers, scissors, clippers, curlers, chairs, mirrors, towels, sterilizers, et al. They would like all beauticians to be high grade. They would like to eliminate those who charge only 25¢ for a manicure or finger wave, $2 for apermanent wave. They would like every operator to own a sterilizer and use at least one clean towel on each customer. They would like to invert the phrase which New York City’s Health Commissioner Shirley Wilmott Wynne* gave them: “Health is the basis of real beauty.”

All this they argued last week under the presidency of Benjamin F. Breslauer. “An eminently prominent doctor” would be desirable as their Tsar, they thought. But, although such an eminence might be found willing to brave the A. M. A.’s profound objection to any member commercializing his profession, members of the Beauty Industries Manufacturers’ Association frankly told each other that they distrusted each other, feared that some would gain control of their “eminently prominent” boss to the others’ commercial detriment. Last week there was no agreement on such a boss’s employment.

Fashions. Paul Henry Nystrom, 52, Columbia University professor of marketing, gave the American Beauty Congress a survey of current cosmetic fashions: “At least half of all well-dressed women seen in fashionable restaurants and theatres as spectators at sporting events are wearing their hair short, but arranged in interesting and new waves. Ten to 15% of 600 smart women studied used hair dyes and washes that give lighter or darker tones.” Fifty to 75% use rouge; 80% have plucked and penciled eyebrows. Only the minority tint their fingernails.

For next year he predicted short hair for women, more lipstick and hair dyes, less suntan, shorter fingernails.

For men too he made prediction: “I have made a study of beards, for instance. You’ll notice in history books that George Washington’s contemporaries (1732-99) were as clean shaven as the American businessman of today. Then came a period of heavy beards, followed by another clean-shaven period, Daniel Webster’s time (1782-1852). The next bearded age lasted until around 1900. Men’s mass taste changes much more slowly than women’s, but it changes nevertheless. Your sons will be wearing heavy beards.”

* October magazines and other advertising media carry Dr. Wynne’s signed testimonial for Colgate’s toothpaste. This was a bold violation of medical ethics, but consistent with Dr. Wynne’s advocacy of advertising by doctors. When last week he heard that his local medical society was thinking of trying him for this ethical breach, he resigned.