Does Hair really grow even after a person is dead?

Man is mammal and hair is a special feature in all mammals. Each one of us possesses one or two lakh hair on our heads, which grow at the rate of half an inch per month. The visible part of the hair is called the "shaft'. It consists of three layers: cuticle, cortex and medulla. Is invisible part is called the ' root. The entire root lies inside a 'hair follicle' which is a tiny sac below the skin's surface. At the bottom of the follicle, there is a tiny bump called papilla. This is from where new hair grows rapidly. It contains an artery that nourishes the root of the hair.

Hair grows by forming new cells at the base of the root. As the new cells form around the papilla, the old ones are pushed out and die away. The new cells force the dead cell's rod out of the follicle. In this way, the hair grows and becomes a part of the shaft.

Hair goes on growing even after a person dies because the cells of the body go on working until they have exhausted their fuel supply. As lon as the cells keep working after death, hair will continue to grow. When the fuel in the cells is over, they die away and the hair stop growing.

Hairs are very important for us. They provide warmth, protect the skin and respond to touch. Hair retains warmth by trapping a layer of air next to the skin.