Lice

[squirrel]

Easiest way to get rid of pubic lice (crabs) is to buy some head louse shampoo at the chemists and use that.

Not from personal experience - used to work in pest control................

[ian turner]

Of my two serving WW1 grandfathers -

RE - he was a casualty of the louse! He caught 'Trench fever' (carried by the faeces of the louse...) and was hospitalised. Received a minimum pension after demob.

Seaforths - he recalled de-lousing his kilt by running a lighted candle along the pleats.

Ian

[Alans]

Irrelevant. It's stealing.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ~ whether he/you or you/he

[Steven Broomfield]

The chaps ashould have follwed the advice by Spike Milligan in this poem:

Lady Barnaby takes her ease

Knitting overcoats for fleas

By this kidness, fleas are smitten

That is why she is rarely bitten

On a more serious note and given the connection between fleas and lice (already mentioned), the animal flea egg can live for, I believe, up to 6 months away from a host. We also see a lot of animals with flea problems, but who appear not to have a flea on them because the little critters live in the animal's bedding, the carpets, the sofa, etc, etc.

[centurion]

One small aside. The cholera belt (mentioned in another thread) was also known as a 'louse trap' whether it collected the beasts or attracted them I have no information.

[geraint]

Are they still a problem today? Do the troops in Iraq or Afganistan suffer from these infestations, or is there a human equivalence to Frontline the dog-owner's saviour solution?

[centurion]

DDT was the original solution. It has been reckoned that without it the number of deaths from typhus carried by displaced persons, reugeees, the bombed out etc etc in 1945 across Europe would have run into hundreds of thousands if not more. Now that it is itself a banned substance I believe other insecticide type chemicals are used (lice are actually not insects but fall into the same class as shrimps, wood lice etc). I have a feeling that at least one of these chemicals has been implicated in Gulf War Syndrome

[PhilB]

Fleas don`t get anywhere near the publicity that lice got in WW1. Possibly fleas were an occasional irritant but lice a permanent feature? There was usually no differentiation between the types of louse and it`s assumed that body lice were the chief parasites but maybe head and pubic lice were equally common? Photos would only show body lice hunts as headlice hunting is not photogenic and pubic lice hunting is a private matter!

[centurion]

There were already some insecticides that could deal with fleas - Keatings powder being the best known. Whilst not as effective as the later DDT they could keep fleas in check (useless against lice). Tins of Keatings were issued to the troops.

[truthergw]

Are they still a problem today? Do the troops in Iraq or Afganistan suffer from these infestations, or is there a human equivalence to Frontline the dog-owner's saviour solution?

They would do if strict measures were not taken. The troops in the Great War suffered in the trenches and front lines because there was no way to keep clean. When they got to a place where they could bathe etc. they were no more infested than the public at large. Our troops have showers etc and an awareness of the importance of cleanliness as well as medication to combat infestation.

[PhilB]

I`ve just realised that this thread is short of a photo of the subject, so here`s one showing a replete female louse. Enjoy!

[centurion]

They would do if strict measures were not taken. The troops in the Great War suffered in the trenches and front lines because there was no way to keep clean. When they got to a place where they could bathe etc. they were no more infested than the public at large. Our troops have showers etc and an awareness of the importance of cleanliness as well as medication to combat infestation.

Not strictly true - the real underlying problem was dealing with the eggs in the crevices in clothing. If your clothes were not properly deloused you could have all the baths and carbolic soap you liked but within hours you'd be lousy again. In the absence of chemicals heat treatment was used to delouse cloths (just washing in hot water would not kill all the eggs) and this proved very difficult to get right, some of the early delousing machines were quite ineffective. The Australians developed an effective (and mobile) delouser - it was called the Itchy Kitchy Machine. Even if you were clean and clothes deloused there would be reservoirs of lice and egs lurking in dug outs etc so you'd still get lousy again as it need a chemical agent to deal with these and none was available in WW1

The modern army has chemicals with which to deal with lice and other infestations, even in modern warfare there will be situations were bathing is impossible. Conditions in the trenches in the second part of the Korean War were quite WW1 like but lice were kept down with DDT

[centurion]

In fact further to this looking at "Parisites of the Colder Climates" and some other texts I find that simply washing oneself frequently is ineffectual against body lice as they do not live on the bady but in the clothes (indeed their more usual name is the Clothes Louse) only coming onto the body to feed (usually in the chest and back area). Lice infestations occur where significant numbers of people are cheek by jowl and do not change and wash their clothes frequently. It seems probable that having an unwashed body by itself is not a cause of infection (indeed the closely related head louse 'prefers' clean hair to dirty).

Can we stop this thread now please - I'm starting to itch.

[squirrel]

Not washing regularly leaves a good deal of louse feaces on the body and these are what caused the problems, not the lice themselves.

Thorough and regular washing of clothes at 60 degrees C or higher would get rid of most of the louse eggs as would dry cleaning. Unfortunately, neither of these methods were available regularly to the soldiers at the time.

Heat treatment of infested clothing was only effective if the clothes were left in the heat for long enough for the eggs to dry out completely. Several hours would seem to be about right.

Of course, insecticides do not usually affect the eggs of any insect. It is only once they have emerged from the egg that insecticides are effective hence the need for regular treatment and application.

[centurion]

Not washing regularly leaves a good deal of louse feaces on the body and these are what caused the problems, not the lice themselves.

As far as trench fever was concerned however the louse bites themselves were painful and itchy. My point stands, not washing did not in its self attract the lice in the first place

Thorough and regular washing of clothes at 60 degrees C or higher would get rid of most of the louse eggs as would dry cleaning. Unfortunately, neither of these methods were available regularly to the soldiers at the time.

Shirts and underpants were washed in boiling water quite frequently, especially as the war progressed and mobile laundries established. Usually happened when the men came out of line. However the jacket and trousers of the uniform could not be treated this way.

Heat treatment of infested clothing was only effective if the clothes were left in the heat for long enough for the eggs to dry out completely. Several hours would seem to be about right.

Get it hot enough and the egg dies anyway - drying out is not an issue

Of course, insecticides do not usually affect the eggs of any insect. It is only once they have emerged from the egg that insecticides are effective hence the need for regular treatment and application.

Lice are not insects. In any case some insecticides do affect those eggs that do not have a hard shell or membrane. If the egg does have a shell or membrane then heat treatment will not dry it out!

[geraint]

Squirrel

You will be horrified to know that your avatar's louse - the Neohaematopinus sciuropteri Osburn is responsible for the vector transmission of Ricettsia prowazekii. Damned nasty!

On the other hand, your avatar's mites - Haemogamasus reidi Ewing has none.

Thought you might like to keep an eye open for them!

Congrats on your 4,000th posting . (10 to go!)

[squirrel]

Thanks geraint, I'll ask the Memsahib to keep an eye out when she does the washing!

Better start saving up to put something behind the bar in Skindle's as well.

Centurian, your points are taken but.........

A louse bite is not in itself sore but itchy and scratching is what causes the soreness and the feaces to enter the wound resulting in possible infection. The itchiness is caused by the pest injecting an anti coagulant to allow the blood to flow when feeding.

The louse in question has a "soft egg" that will be destroyed by heating provided it is kept at a certain level for a certain time - all insect and other pest eggs are affected by heat as they have, for want of a better expression "ventilation" of some sort to control as far as is practicable, heat, humidity and ventilation on the host. When removed from the prefered environment, in this case clothing, then they are susceptible to excessive heat and humidity or extreme cold and lack of moisture in any combination.

This is also how fumigation, an insecticidal or other gas such as CO2, held at a constant temperature and pressure level for a given time works.

[Martin Bennitt]

May I draw your attention to John Charters' excellent MA dissertation on "Lice and louse-borne disease in the British Army on the Western Front 1914-1918": download pdf copy here

absolutely fascinating. thanks for drawing it to our attention, Chris

cheers Martin B

[centurion]

Just happened to notice in The Long Trail (Brophie and Partridge) a reference to "small red lice" infesting some captured German dug outs. These are specifically mentioned as being different from the usual louse found on the WF and in Gallipoli. Anyone seen any other references to 'German' lice?

[Borden Battery]

Typhus Fever of the Eastern Front in World War I

David W. Tschanz, MSPH, PhD

This short technical paper outlines the background and implications of the common body louse Pediculus humanus (not the head louse) and the associated virus called Rickettsia prowazeki and the impact of typhus fever on the Eastern Front; specifically in the region involving Serbia. [CEF Study Group - August 2006]

http://entomology.montana.edu/historybug/WWI/TEF.htm

[franzmaximilian]

A funny story about the German red louse:

When the Italians took Mount San Matteo in August 1918, the new occupants had no blankets with them for their first night in the newly occupied positions. It was an urgent need, as nights at over 3600 m. can be really chilly even in August, so they looked around and decided to use the blankets they found in the ice gallery where the Austrians had arranged their garrison. Unfolding the blankets they made a big discover: the Austrian louse was of a more reddish colour than the Italian one! Minutes later, as they begun using the blankets, another astonishing discover was made: the two varieties of louse were fraternizing!

My guess is that, if the episode has been reported, someone must have had thoughts about the stupidity of men and the intelligence of louse...

[hendersondonald]

On 11/12/2008 at 20:12, truthergw said:

According to my Grandad, soaking your kilt in petrol killed them and their eggs. I think modern day H&S may have frowned upon that practice. A tent mallet along the pleats was a common practice but probably did not get all the eggs.

My grandfather (6th Seaforths and in France 1915-19) apparently got rid of lice eggs by running a candle down the seams and pleats of his kilt. I assume not having doused it in petrol beforehand!

[A Lancashire Fusilier by Proxy]

On 19/12/2008 at 15:16, centurion said:

Just happened to notice in The Long Trail (Brophie and Partridge) a reference to "small red lice" infesting some captured German dug outs. These are specifically mentioned as being different from the usual louse found on the WF and in Gallipoli. Anyone seen any other references to 'German' lice?

This reminds me of another thread in which "German" and "Allied" lice were distinguished, although on that occasion it was the English lice that were said to be the small red variety! https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/282256-lice/#comment-2898881

On 13/07/2023 at 18:23, hendersondonald said:

My grandfather (6th Seaforths and in France 1915-19) apparently got rid of lice eggs by running a candle down the seams and pleats of his kilt. I assume not having doused it in petrol beforehand!

@hendersondonald Are you and @ian turner (the author of the second post on this page) cousins? Though I suppose that all the men of a battalion would natufally resort to similar expediencies, especially if they appeared to work, so probably not. It wasn't the 1/6th Seaforths, was it, by any chance, who were in the 51st Highland Division alongside my grandfather's 2/5th LF from May 1915 to December 1915?

[ian turner]

https://www.greatwarforum.org/profile/109124-hendersondonald/

My grandfather was in the 7th (Service) Bn Seaforths, 1918-19. They were in the 9th (Scottish) Division. I guess the expedient of using a lighted candle for eradicating lice in the pleats of kilts was followed by the various kilted regiments. 

[stevenbecker]

As Cent mentioned there were all types going on

In a South East Asian war, some fifty years ago we use to get buzzed by small planes spraying the local areas.

Were were other sprayings like Agent O, but we mostly saw the small planes, which I was told we spraying for bugs like mozzies

In Saudi for the first Gulf, I did see spraying by a truck with some cloud machine, over our area, but other wise we had no problems

Unsure if any help

S.B