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  • Bloodsucking Lice and Fleas

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    WilliamPeterson1996
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    This document discusses the history of bloodsucking lice and fleas from ancient Egypt through the 20th century. It notes that lice have been a problem since ancient Egypt, when priests would shave all body hair to reduce lice. During the Black Plague in the 14th century, fleas spread the disease by infecting rats. In the early modern period, lice were ubiquitous even among wealthy individuals. During World War I, body lice spread easily among soldiers in close quarters in trenches. In the mid-20th century, pyrethrum was used as an insecticide but lice and fleas developed resistance, and its use was later banned in the U.S.

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    This document discusses the history of bloodsucking lice and fleas from ancient Egypt through the 20th century. It notes that lice have been a problem since ancient Egypt, when priests would shave all body hair to reduce lice. During the Black Plague in the 14th century, fleas spread the disease by infecting rats. In the early modern period, lice were ubiquitous even among wealthy individuals. During World War I, body lice spread easily among soldiers in close quarters in trenches. In the mid-20th century, pyrethrum was used as an insecticide but lice and fleas developed resistance, and its use was later banned in the U.S.

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    25 views7 pages

    Bloodsucking Lice and Fleas

    Uploaded by

    WilliamPeterson1996
    This document discusses the history of bloodsucking lice and fleas from ancient Egypt through the 20th century. It notes that lice have been a problem since ancient Egypt, when priests would shave all body hair to reduce lice. During the Black Plague in the 14th century, fleas spread the disease by infecting rats. In the early modern period, lice were ubiquitous even among wealthy individuals. During World War I, body lice spread easily among soldiers in close quarters in trenches. In the mid-20th century, pyrethrum was used as an insecticide but lice and fleas developed resistance, and its use was later banned in the U.S.

    Copyright:

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    of 7

    BLOODSUCKING LICE AND

    FLEAS
    William Peterson
    3000 BC-1000 BC
    Lice went all the way back
    to the ancient Egyptians.
    They would shave their
    head and wear wigs, but
    they would still have lice.
    The priest would shave
    every hair off their body
    even their eyebrows. This
    made priest less likely to
    get lice. Cats were loved
    and worshiped by the
    Egyptians the cat flea was a
    constant presence even the
    “hairless” cat the Sphynx
    got fleas.
    384 BC- 322 BC
    People did not understand
    lice and fleas. They thought
    lice was made from sweat.
    Greek writer and
    philosopher Aristotle wrote
    that lice developed from
    the “flesh of animals.”
    Aristotle also believed that
    the more you sweat the
    most chance you will have
    lice. The idea was called
    spontaneous generation. It
    was proven wrong by
    Louis Pasteur in in 1864.
    year 1347
    The black plague swept
    through Europe killing
    millions of people. It all
    started from rat that had
    infected bacteria from fleas.
    The symptoms would be
    red or black spots on the
    body also they will have
    swollen glands. When this
    happened villages became
    desperate for food and
    water they would attack
    each other. When some
    people are immune to the
    dieses the would catapult
    an infected body into the
    village and every body will
    get sick.
    1600-1700
    Everybody had lice at this
    time. Even rich wealthy
    people couldn’t escape it.
    Lice was now accepted into
    life because it was
    impossible to avoid them.
    Also it didn’t help how
    people rarely bathed back
    then. Did you know that
    the first president George
    Washington had lice. They
    all wore wigs, but their real
    under the wig had lice.
    1914-1919
    In WW I many soldiers
    fought in trenches for
    protection from enemy fire.
    It didn’t protect them from
    the cooties which is slang
    for body lice. Every soldier
    would get it from each
    other. The reason why they
    got it because being close in
    a trench. Infestations broke
    which became misery.
    Some soldiers were
    crawling with lice. There
    was very little treatment for
    lice except flicking them
    off.
    1940-1978
    In this time people begun
    use pyrethrum as
    insecticide and delousing
    powder. It is still use today
    but with caution, they can
    be toxic. This treatment
    work, but also it killed
    many animals and destroys
    the environment. Fleas and
    lice were adapting to the
    pesticide and they were
    still living. The U.S. banned
    the chemical, and lice came
    back even worse.

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