For more than 100 years, the structure that Felix Pinkus named a Mantelhaar because of its resemblance to a cloak ("mantel" is German for "cloak") has been the subject of attention and debate among anatomists and dermatopathologists. To this day, some authors contend that the mantle is abnormal, whereas others aver that it is normal; some argue that it undergoes a cycle, whereas others hold that it does not. Its function is unclear. The material that follows, presented in historical perspective, is intended to clarify these issues and resolve some of them.