Dictionary:

scalp

  (skălp)

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1. The skin covering the top of the human head.
2. A portion of this skin with its attached hair, cut from a body especially as a battle trophy or as proof in claiming a bounty.
3. A piece of hide from the skull of certain animals, such as the fox, shown as proof of killing in order to collect a bounty.
4. A trophy of victory.

1. To cut or tear the scalp from.
2. To deprive of top growth or a top layer: land scalped by strip miners.
3. To resell at a price higher than the established value: scalping tickets to the baseball game.
4. To buy and sell (securities or commodities) in order to make small quick profits.

1. To engage in the reselling of something, such as tickets, at a price higher than the established value.
2. To buy and sell securities or commodities for small quick profits.

[Middle English, top of the head, of Scandinavian origin.]

verb

To exploit (another) by charging too much for something: fleece, overcharge. Slang clip¹, gouge, nick, rip off, skin, soak. Idioms: make someone pay through the nose, take someone for a ride, take someone to the cleaners. See honest/dishonest.

In warfare, the Indians had lessons for the colonists just as the colonists had for the Indians. True, the Indians lacked firearms, but they fought with skill, tactics, and courage, and made expert use of natural cover, impressing even their fiercest military counterparts from across the sea. They also had a method of confirming and commemorating kills in battle that particularly impressed the Europeans.

As evidence that an Indian had killed his enemy, he would cut off the man's scalp with the hair on it and carry it home, there to be honored as a trophy. The verb scalp must have been in use to describe this practice by 1675, because it appears in a book of 1676: "Laying him for dead, they flead (or skulp'd) his head of skin and hair."

The newcomers did not shrink from learning the technique. In 1697 Samuel Sewall of Boston noted in his diary the story of a young man taken captive by Indians: "The single man [an Indian] shewed the night before, to Samuel Lennarson, how he used to knock Englishmen on the head and take off their Scalps; little thinking that the Captives would make some of their first experiment upon himself. Samuel Lennarson kill'd him."

Fortunately, that kind of scalping exists only in history, but present-day scalpers (1869) still actively scalp tickets to shows and sporting events, making a killing by buying the tickets at list or cut-rate prices and then turning around and selling them to the highest bidder.

Scalp
Gray's	subject #105 378
Artery	supratrochlear, supraorbital, superficial temporal, occipital
Vein	superficial temporal, posterior auricular, occipital
Nerve	supratrochlear, supraorbital, greater occipital, lesser occipital
Lymph	occipital, mastoid
MeSH	Scalp
Dorlands/Elsevier	s_03/12721502

For other uses of the word, see Scalp (disambiguation)

The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly.

Layers

It is usually described as having five layers, which can be remembered with the mnemonic "SCALP":^[1]

• S: The skin on the head from which head hair grows. It is richly supplied with blood vessels and can be subject to such conditions as dandruff and cutis verticis gyrata.
• C: Connective tissue. a thin layer of fat and fibrous tissue lies beneath the skin
• A: The aponeurosis (or galea aponeurotica) is the next layer. It is a tough layer of dense fibrous tissue which runs from the frontalis muscle anteriorly to the occipitalis posteriorly
• L: The loose areolar connective tissue layer provides an easy plane of separation between the upper three layers and the pericranium. In scalping the scalp is torn off through this layer. It also provides a plane of access in craniofacial surgery and neurosurgery. This layer is sometimes referred to as the "Danger Zone" because of the ease by which infectious agents can spread through it to emissary veins which then drain into the cranium. The loose areolar tissue in this layer is made up of random collagen I bundles, collagen III and is highly vascular and cellular. It will also be rich in glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and will be constituted of more matrix than fibers.
• P: The pericranium is the periosteum of the skull bones and provides nutrition to the bone and the capacity for repair. It may be lifted from the bone to allow removal of bone windows (craniotomy).

Blood supply

The blood supply of the scalp is via four pairs of arteries, two from the external carotid and two from the internal carotid:

• internal carotid
  • the supratrochlear artery to the midline forehead
  • the supraorbital artery to the lateral forehead and scalp as far up as the vertex

• external carotid
  • the superficial temporal artery which gives frontal and parietal branches to supply much of the scalp
  • the occipital artery which runs from posteriorly to supply much of the back of the scalp.

Innervation

The scalp is innervated by the following:^[2]

• Supratrochlear nerve and the supraorbital nerve from the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve
• Greater occipital nerve (C2) posteriorly up to the vertex
• Lesser occipital nerve (C3) behind the ear.
• Zygomaticotemporal nerve from the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve supplying the hairless temple
• Auriculotemporal nerve from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve

Role in aesthetics

The scalp plays an important role in the aesthetics of the face. Androgenic alopecia, or male pattern hair loss, is a common cause of concern to men. It may be treated by medication (eg finasteride) or hair transplantation with variable success. If the scalp is heavy and loose, a common change with aging, the forehead may be low, heave and deeply lined. The brow lift procedure aims to address these concerns.

Pathology

The scalp is a common site for the development of tumours including:

• epidermoid cyst
• pilar cyst
• actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma
• basal cell carcinoma
• merkel cell tumours

See also

• Trichology -- the scientific study of hair and scalp
• Trichodynia -- burning scalp syndrome

Additional images

Diagrammatic section of scalp.

References

General anatomy of head and neck - head
Face/Occiput	Forehead • Eye • Ear • Temple • Cheek • Chin
External nose	Nostril • Nasal septum • Cartilages (Accessory nasal, of the septum, Greater alar, Lateral nasal, Lesser alar, Vomeronasal)  • Olfactory glands
Nasal cavity	Choana • Turbinate • Sphenoethmoidal recess • Ethmoid bulla • Hiatus semilunaris • Ostium maxillare • Inferior meatus • Vomeronasal organ • Paranasal sinus
Mouth/oral cavity	Lip • Philtrum • Jaw • Pterygomandibular raphe
Teeth	Permanent (Incisor, Canine, Premolar, Molar)  • Deciduous
Tongue	Plica fimbriata • Median sulcus • Foramen cecum • Terminal sulcus • Frenulum linguae • Anterior tongue • Posterior tongue
Palate/roof of mouth	Hard palate • Soft palate • Palatine raphe • Incisive papilla • Uvula • Pharyngeal recess • Arches: (Palatoglossal • Palatopharyngeal)
Salivary glands	(Parotid • Sublingual • Submandibular) • Ducts: Submandibular • Parotid
fascia	Masseteric fascia • Temporal fascia • Galea aponeurotica • Scalp

External links

• Histology at BU 08601ooa - "Integument: scalp, transverse"
• Histology at BU 08801ooa - "Integument: scalp"
• Norman/Georgetown lesson1

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - skalp, hovedbund, lille hurtig gevinst
v. tr. - skalpere, flå
v. intr. - spekulere, sjakre

Nederlands (Dutch)
hoofdhuid, scalp, scalperen, speculeren, kaartjes duur doorverkopen

Français (French)
n. - (Anat) cuir chevelu, (fig) scalp
v. tr. - scalper, (fig) écraser, (US) revendre (qch) au marché noir, (US, Fin) spéculer sur (des stocks)
v. intr. - boursicoter (à la Bourse), revendre au marché noir

Deutsch (German)
n. - Skalp, Kopfhaut, (Sieges)trophäe
v. - skalpieren, fertigmachen, zu überhöhtem Preis weiterverkaufen, Profit aus kl. Kursschwankungen ziehen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δέρμα του κρανίου, τριχωτό της κεφαλής, (μτφ.) τρόπαιο
v. - γδέρνω κρανίο (εχθρού), (ΗΠΑ, καθομ.) κατατροπώνω, καταληστεύω, επικρίνω έντονα

Italiano (Italian)
scotennare, scalpo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - couro cabeludo (m), escalpo (m), troféu (m)
v. - escalpar

Русский (Russian)
кожа черепа, скальп, оголенная вершина горы, скальпировать, резко критиковать, мошенничать, перепродавать (театральные билеты) с большой наценкой

Español (Spanish)
n. - escalpe, cuero cabelludo, piel de la cabeza y cuello de un animal
v. tr. - revender, escalpar, arrancar el cuero cabelludo, criticar despiadadamente, pelar, quitar la parte superior
v. intr. - tropezarse

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hårbotten, huvudsvål, skalp, hjässa, kal bergstopp, snabb extraförtjänst
v. - skalpera, hudflänga, gå hårt åt, spekulera, sälja svart

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
头皮, 剥下...的头皮, 击败, 欺骗, 劫夺, 转手倒卖, 做黄牛生意

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 頭皮
v. tr. - 剝下...的頭皮, 擊敗, 欺騙, 劫奪, 轉手倒賣
v. intr. - 轉手倒賣, 做黃牛生意

한국어 (Korean)
n. - (동물의) 머릿 가죽, 전리품, (전매에 의한) 작은 이득
v. tr. - ~의 머릿 껍질을 벗기다, (도로를) 평평히 고르다, 창피를 주다
v. intr. - 차익금을 벌다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 頭の皮, 毛のついた頭皮, 戦利品, 頭皮
v. - 頭の皮をはぐ, ダフ屋をする, 頭皮をはぐ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فروة ألرأس, (فعل) يسلخ فروة ألرأس,‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קרקפת, עור הגולגולת‬
v. tr. - ‮הביס, השפיל, מתח ביקורת פראית על‬
v. intr. - ‮ספסר (בכרטיסים או במניות)‬

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