judy wrote:I am fascinated by the collective amnesia in this thread. There certainly were those dreadful ( normal) infestations when we were there and in deed the tooth combs got used. Interestingly as I remember it the creatures did not seem able to jump the hierarchical gap between the more junior and senior parts of CH. My memory was that it seemed to stop at the UIV -I wonder if we just all got less able to tolerate physical closeness? The treatment was pretty brutal - shaved heads. Not nice at all.
I caught them (from my younger sister) while at primary school. I well remember Mum's embarrassment, and that she wandered up and down outside the pharmacy (on New Park Road, Munch), waiting until there were no other customers, before she was game enough to enter and purchase whatever the stuff we were treated with was.
Apparently the Headmistress of the Infants' School had told Mum to shave our heads, but, fortunately, she didn't agree. We were doused with some highly toxic-smelling stuff and made to walk around home for an entire day with towels around our shoulders to catch the dead nits.
Much less social stigma about them in Oz these days. My poor daughter caught them a couple of times, but they always chose to avoid Mitch's locks. Sensible creatures.