Recommended Posts

Sorry to start an itchy thread but do any of our more mature members remember head lice?

It`s just that I remember that, in the Medders anyway, the lice eggs were called nits and the live lice referred to as 'dicks'.

Nobody around here believes me. I`m told that, in Derby, headlice are nits and the eggs are just called eggs!

I remember a rhyme we would chant.

Made yer look, made yer stare!

Made yer cut the barber`s hair.

Barbers hair was full of dicks.

Made yer eat em, all but six.

Is that why we call somebody a dickhead? Or is that something else?

Link to post
Share on other sites

At the schools I attended (occasionally) the terms 'nits' and 'dicks' were interchangeable for the lice. Many were the traumatising tales of people 'having their heads shaved and painted purple' but I never witnessed any poor soul rendered to that condition.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Can't you remember the 'Nit Nurse' with that bloody steel comb dipped in disinfectant. It was all part of 50's junior schooling, we all had to line up in the corridor and be closely examined every few months, I don't recall even the poorest kids having a problem, the state had a thing about it and we all had to suffer and be tarred with the same brush, it was pathetic and the poor kids were made to be humiliated, being poor didn't mean a lack of respect and hygiene at home, looking back, it was a disgrace.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember the line-ups in the corridor at Junior School in the 1960s' and also Secondary School in the 1970s'. Like you I don't remember one single incidence of a pupil have head lice. Looking back it was ridiculous.

Echo the sentiments about hygiene. I remember very few kids at the schools I went to that didn't come to school in the morning scrubbed to within an inch of their lives. They often went home in a slightly different condition though!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I like other kids got them from time to time.

You usually took them home from school!

Girls are more likely to get them as they put their heads together.

So theres a warning to all the schoolboys of today.

Stay away from girls, they are dangerous!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes we too had the 'Nit Nurse' ,and as for it being humiliating Pete , you said you can't recall even the poorest kids having them , why do you think it was humiliating ?? (If they did have them ,the nurse was always subtle about it , a sly nod to a nearby class teacher and that kid got told about it separately and not embarrassed in front of the class!!)

And now ,the bombshell, I went right through school and never knew anybody to have them (As I say it was kept quiet) but in the past week both my kids have come home with 'uninvited' guests!!!

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

No sublety in our school, the poor kids, who shall remain nameless, were always dragged out first, that was humiliation in our book, for whatever misdemeanours, we were always paraded in front of class, sometimes even the whole school, and made an example of. Looking back, it was the Victorian mind set of the deranged old bag that was rather perversly allowed to run the place, it was a blessing for all of us when she left. I recall a few years ago reading her glowing epitaph in the Evening Post when the wierdo finally snuffed it, I rejoiced and was at last able to convince my parents, that had the woman been a headteacher today she'd be arrested for her behaviour, but at the time, the head was always right and got away with it, you were just a kid, your opinions didn't count.

I'd love to know whether some of our old teachers are still alive and what they thought of her, I doubt it was very much, I'm sure they were instrumental in removing the old cow.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My aunt Lucy was the nit nurse in the 50s/60s, i wouldn't dare get nits, my mother would have killed me, imagine having aunt Lucy tell me mam I'd got visitors in me hair!!!

Any way aunt Lucy's son Tony went on to become lead singer with the Nottingham band Pink Harmony

Rog

Link to post
Share on other sites

I well remember the "Nit Nurse" visiting our school. At the end of the school day lettere were given out in the class to whoever had nits.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was done to purposely shame the kids.

Yes I got plenty of those letters.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I must be immune to them.

I worked with often nitty children for years and although I had long hair (in my hippy days)I never got them.

I always got checked by Nitty Norah but she never found any.

All my grandchildren had them occasionally too but they avoided me. (The nits, not the grandkids)

If any nitty heads were found in the class, ALL the children got a letter saying that the parent might like to check their child`s hair as head lice had been found in class. We weren`t allowed to discriminate against the nitty ones by giving them alone a letter.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Tho this is probably a problem common to all schools

I wonder they would send out such a letter today?

Admitting that pupils at their school had head lice!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Tho this is probably a problem common to all schools

I wonder they would send out such a letter today?

Admitting that pupils at their school had head lice!

Mick there are bleeding billboards up at our kids school !!!!!

And a monthly news letter

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Mick there are bleeding billboards up at our kids school !!!!!

And a monthly news letter

As there is in most schools the problem is now as then most parents really good and treat there children as soon as they know they have got them but some are not so good at doing this so other kids keep catching them. the problem now also that some are resistent to the lotions and some parents think that putting this on dose the job and they need do no more hence they get a lot worse before checked again still the best method by far is the old fine comb on wet hair will remove eggs as well as live ones a bit tedious on both child and parent but if done a couple of times a week as a rutyne for all children as part of normal higyne things would soon get in control of this again and no embarressed kids. I know because i was one of those kids who would often get them untill I was about ten and could look after my own hair properly. Having worked with children for a lot of years it was apart of life and i would always comb my hair with fine comb morning and night but still got the odd one or two but never had any eggs as got them out quickly. because of the work i did kids would often ask us to tie there hair up or put it in plaits or do something else with it if we noticed that a child had lice we would have a discreet word with parents when they came to pick up child or we would send out letters to parents by post never with the child this way the child or other children did not know that we had done this.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember having to have my hair combed over newspaper with salt I think.

I'm scratching now thinking about it!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 5 years later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...