Were Dr. Holmes to observe bodily mischief today, he'd still find needles thrust without cause into flesh and bonfires needlessly kindled on the skin. But, nowadays, the injuries are far less likely to be inflicted on the sick in search of health than on the vain in search of fashion. Botox bruises the foreheads of matrons, collagen scars the lips of barflies. Steel grommets hang from the navels of nymphets, bolts pierce the lips of perps. Perhaps the broadest practice, however, is die direct application of henna directly to hair and skin. This global assault has produced rock concerts that resemble the coming of age in Samoa and turned South Beach into the South Pacific. Warriors of the NFL sport body tattoos that put Papua to shame, while trendy folk in SoHo flaunt the umbilical baroque. If the Belle Epoque was the Age of Gold, ours has become the Age of Tool and Dye.
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