Head Lice History: How Did They Originate?

Head lice have been around since we’ve known about hair and hair-care. This is probably what we think and believe. However, the facts have something else to say. Lice are believed to have beenever-presentevenbefore the recording of history. According to the facts, the existence of head lice dates back more than a million years ago. The reality that head lice have been rampant for more than one million years demonstratesthat humans and head lice have shared a long, itchy and annoying relationship for most of history. Currently, this research is being utilized for the creation of a timeline thatreflects the evolution of humans. Signs of head lice have been noticed on ancient Egyptian mummified bodies too. Hence, it is quite clear that these blood sucking parasites have been surviving and multiplying on human blood for as long as humans have been on the earth’s surface.

Head Lice: Earliest Records

The most primitive records of head lice treatment in the U.S.trace back to the early 1800’s. Currently, The Wisconsin Historical Museum stores and preserves a bone lice comb from the earlier days. If we can go by the facts, the area of Fort Crawford was not aparticularlyhealthy orprotective environment to live in. At those times, soldiers were always on the brink of anticipating acyclicrisk of mosquito-related malaria,in addition toperiodicepidemics of dysentery, cholera, and typhus. The first ever lice comb in the U.S. was unearthed from the Fort Crawford site by archaeologists, dating back to the 1930’s. It also revealed that a particular insect was an irritation and annoyance for Fort Crawford soldiers: head lice. From1864, when Louis Pasteur reported the completelife cycle of head lice and other insects, the preventionof this infestation started emerging. The growth of head lice started slowing down primarily due to the chemical agent DDT. It was an influential pesticide that was previously used to kill mosquitoes that were spreading malaria. However, it was later on that these chemicals started showing adverse reactions to the skin and the body.

Why Manual Removal of Head Lice Is Best

While people have tried all kinds of OTC products and home remedies for head lice, none of them have shown results to the full satisfaction. Moreover, over the course of time, head lice have become resistant to all kinds of chemical treatments, while being unresponsive to home treatments. Therefore, seeking the assistance of a professional lice clinic that manually remove head lice by hand, using specialized nit combs, is by far the most effective means of getting rid of this menace. What are you waiting for? Call us at 305-676-6545 today to get lice-free at our recently opened lice clinic located in Kendall, Florida today!