Lice Comb
Hair hygiene in previous times was limited and not very frequent which caused head lice to be a common occurrence.
Women wore their hair long, and it was not washed for months since there was no indoor plumbing or hair dryers. Combining this with the fact that homes were often small and crowded, meant that head lice was commonplace.
This brass lice comb, with two different gauges of “teeth” was used regularly, with kerosene, to remove the pests from one’s hair.
In planning one’s immigrant voyage on a crowded sailing ship with hundreds of other people, it was wise to include a lice comb in “carry-on” luggage.
