An albino is a person without any colour, or pigmentation. All races have a certain amount of pigmentation, though some among the white race (especially the Scandinavian) have very little.What cause color, or pigmentation, in people? It is produced by certain substances in the body acting on each other. The substances are colour bases, or chromogens, and certain enzymes. When the enzymes act on the colour bases, pigmentation is produced.If an individual happens to lack either of these substances in his body, there is no pigmentation and he is what we call an "albino". The word comes from the Latin albus, meaning "white".
A person who is an albino has pink eyes, and this is because of the red of the blood circulating in the retina of the eye. An albino's eyes are very sensitive to light. So such a person keeps the eyelids partly closed and is constantly blinking.
The hair of an albino is white over his entire body. Even tissues inside the body, such as the brain and the spinal cord, are white.
By the way, albinism is found not only in man, but in plants and all kinds of animals as well. It is even found among birds, and there is no race of man that may not have, albinos.
It is believed that albinism may be inherited, so people who are albinos themselves may pass on the characteristics to their children.
Probably the albinos we are all most familiar with are white mice, rats, and rabbits. But there are people who have seen albino squirrels and even albino giraffes!
A person who is an albino has pink eyes, and this is because of the red of the blood circulating in the retina of the eye. An albino's eyes are very sensitive to light. So such a person keeps the eyelids partly closed and is constantly blinking.
The hair of an albino is white over his entire body. Even tissues inside the body, such as the brain and the spinal cord, are white.
By the way, albinism is found not only in man, but in plants and all kinds of animals as well. It is even found among birds, and there is no race of man that may not have, albinos.
It is believed that albinism may be inherited, so people who are albinos themselves may pass on the characteristics to their children.
Probably the albinos we are all most familiar with are white mice, rats, and rabbits. But there are people who have seen albino squirrels and even albino giraffes!