ABSTRACT
Men and women covered their unwashed hair with hats and scarves. They wore the same clothes for many days at a time. Combs with fine teeth were used by both men and women to remove lice from their hair. Parents picked the lice out of children’s hair, and nitpicking was a normal part of grooming. Once mom and dad was dean, each child was washed, all in the same water times called the “hazy” disease because when people fell sick with typhus, they went into a stupor, almost like a coma. Good hygiene, soap, clean public water systems, and antibiotics make typhus a rare guest, just like its host—the body louse unhealthy. People thought that warm water opened up the pores of the skin and allowed disease to enter the body. A nice coating of dirt kept disease away from the skin and was much healthier than a bath.
