| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2005 |
| Authors: | M. Dawes |
| Journal: | Brit. Med. J. |
| Volume: | 331 |
| Issue: | 7513 |
| Pagination: | 362 - 363 |
| Date Published: | 2005 |
| ISBN Number: | 1468-5833 |
| Keywords: | animals, hair, humans, hygiene, insecticide, Lice Infestations/prevention & control, Pediculus, scalp dermatoses |
| Abstract: | You have to take your hat off to the head louse. Described in ancient Egyptian and Greek medical texts, it has been a source of irritation and disgust for thousands of years. Today, with a search on Google yielding 699 000 hits, the mostly harmless head louse has developed into an apparently fearsome pest. During the past 2000 years, a wide range of treatments for head louse infestation has been proposed. Not one has worked sufficiently for it to be regarded as a panacea. The comparison of effectiveness of comb and pediculicide, as reported in a paper in this week's BMJ, is certainly not new |
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