Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages

Shannon Quinn - December 6, 2020

Strangest Hygiene Practices From The Middle Ages
This painting shows bugs crawling all over people while doctors dismay. Credit: Aeon

12. Fleas and Lice Were a Huge Issue For Everyone

During the middle ages, the entire world was plagued by lice and fleas. They could be found in bedding, clothes, hair, and more. This was far more common to see fleas and lice on the poor, because they couldn’t bathe as often. However, even wealthy aristocrats sometimes had fleas in their home, because they were carried in by mice and pets. The act of delousing, or removing parasites from people’s hair, was always done by women. At the local hospitals, they would take small combs that looked like brooms, and pick through the scalps of people who were infected.

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