Louses Gallery

Human head louse, LM

Human head louse, Light microraph (LM) 0f Pediculus humanus capitis. P. humanus is divided into two subspecies; the head louse P. humanus capitis and the body louse P. humanus corporis. The body louse lives in clothing and only moves onto the skin to eat, whereas the head louse is restricted to the hair of the head. Despite this difference in habitat, the two lice differ only slightly in shape and are capable of interbreeding. Head lice glue their eggs (nits) to hairs, while the body louse mainly uses the folds of the seams in clothing. Magnification: x25 when printed 10cm wide

© Science Photo Library

Body louse, Pediculus humanus

Body louse, Pediculus humanus. Handcolored copperplate engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodder's The Naturalist's Miscellany, London, 1795

© Florilegius / Mary Evans

Bodylouse, Copperplate, Engraving, Fredericknodder, Georgeshaw, Handcolored, Historical, History, Naturalhistory, Pediculushumanus, Thenaturalistsmiscellany, Zoology

Removing head lice

Removing head lice. Historical artwork The Insect Menace in 1491, showing a woman usinga brush to remove head lice ( Pediculus humanis capitis) from a man. Head lice are humanparasites that attach themselves to the hair usingtheir well- developed legs and claws. They feed ontheir host's blood, often causing intense itchingand irritation. Before the advent of modernchemical shampoos, control of an infestation waslimited to removal of the adult lice. Artwork inthe collection of the British Museum, London, published in The Golden Health Library (editedby Sir W. Arbuthnot Lane)

© Sheila Terry/Science Photo Library