Tattoos - History, Culture and Health Risks Quiz

Answer: Egyptians

Sometime between the third and fourth dynasties of ancient Egypt, during the building of the great pyramids of Gizeh, tattoos were used as markings to show social rankings of the Egyptian elite.

Answer: To mark

Tahitian women would use certain tattoos to indicate their vocational and other skills. Tahitian men would use tattoos to indicate certain rites of passage or important events in their lives.

Answer: The Maori

The Maori style of tattooing, or Ta Moko, was first performed using the sharpened bone of an albatross, which was pressed repeatedly into the skin, literally chiseling the skin. Ta Moko, like most tattooing of the era was used to tell a person's life history, or sometimes as a resume of the person's job skills.

Answer: 1690's

William Dampier, from Somerset England, is credited with being the first Englishman to step foot on Australian soil. On one particular voyage, Dampier had two very exciting adventures. One was finding the Scottish explorer Alexander Selkirk on an uninhabited island in the South Seas.

This led to the story of "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe. The other is the discovery of a heavily tattooed man who Dampier brought back to England in 1691 to be put on display. The exhibition of the "Painted Prince" led to the acceptance of body art in England.

Answer: Captain James Cook

77 years after William Dampier brought his "Painted Prince" to England, James Cook led his expedition to Tahiti to observe the passing of Venus across the Sun. It was believed that the exact distance of the sun from the Earth could be calculated, thus improving mapmaking and navigation. During the course of his voyage to Tahiti, many of his crew began getting tattoos, or prickling as it was called then.

These were the first documented accounts of sailors receiving tattoos, a tradition that lives on even today.

Answer: Samuel O'Reilly

Thomas Edison was working on an electric machine to engrave hard surfaces when he realized it might be used for tattooing skin. His machine did not gain commercial appeal for engraving or tattooing. In 1891, Samuel O'Reilly improved upon that idea, and is now credited with inventing the electric tattoo machine.

His tattoo machine would drop 3,000 drops of ink per minute at a depth of 1/8" into the skin.

Answer: 14,006

Bernie Moeller was not actually a tattoo aficionado; he just wanted to get in with a world record.

Answer: Dermis

When you see a person with a tattoo, the ink is held in the cells of the dermis. The tattoo needle actually injects ink through the epidermis, or the outer layer of the skin, into the dermis where the ink attracts into the dermal cells. Due to the stability of the cells in the dermis, the ink will remain intact for life, with only minor fading due primarily to sunlight.

Answer: False

There are no recorded cases of the transmission of the HIV virus. Actually the tattoo needle and the HIV virus are not compatible. The HIV virus requires an enclosed environment in order to thrive, and the tattoo needle is a solid shaft. Intravenous needle use is compatible to the transmission of the HIV virus, however, because of the hollow, enclosed area where blood or medicine flows.

Answer: All of these

Non-sterile tattoo applications have been linked to hepatitis, skin infection and even tuberculosis. The risk of transmitting the HIV virus is possible, although it is extremely unlikely. Allergic reactions may occur in some people to the tattoo ink, although this is also uncommon. Most ink is made of natural occurring pigments that are typically non-allergenic. Tattoo studios should be equipped with hospital grade autoclaves for sterilizing equipment. Needles and other items that touch or penetrate the skin should be single use items, never sterilized and reused on another person.