Plica polonica (Polish plait) is a Latin term denoting an alleged medical condition referring to hair. Hair shaft becomes entangled irreversibly, forming a hard mass mixed with dirt and pus exuding from inflamed skin, usually due to pediculosis. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that condition used to be widely discussed, which the author gives evidence of in his article. Superstitions connected with the formation and treatment of Polish plait survived until the end of the Commonwealth period. The problem was hotly debated in hundreds of both academic and popular publications. The superstitions were not debunked until the second half of the 19th century, which, by the way, required a lot of effort. It was possible most of all thanks to the work of the physician and president of Cracow Józef Dietl (1804-1878) and the physician, composer and social activist Henryk Dobrzycki (1843-1914).
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