Dr Phil: Head lice (poem)

Dr Phil Are lice the same as nits?
No, the nits are empty eggs
Of the head louse known in Latin
As Pediculus capitis

It’s a clingy wingless insect
That’s why its got six legs
With a stretchy, flabby body
And a tiny little head

Has everybody got them?
Well they’ve been around a while
They’ve found nits on Mummies
Cruising down the Nile

Do they live on hair?
No they only cling to it
It’s your blood they drill for
And drink it with their spit

How is it you catch them?
They can’t jump or fly or roam
But climb across when touching heads
Or on a hat and comb

How long do they live for?
At most, it’s thirty days
Mum dies of exhaustion
From all those eggs she lays

Can I tell I’ve got them?
You may not want to scratch
But a lice comb and conditioner
Can tell you where they hatch

How can I get rid of them?
They stick like superglue
Try lotions, herbs and combing
It’s really up to you

But only treat the live ones
Nits alone mean nought
Only one thing is for certain
There’s a lot of them about

Dr Phil Hammond is a medical doctor, comedian and commentator on health issues. http://drphilhammond.com

Written by: Dr Phil Hammond
Edited by: Dr Phil Hammond
Last updated: Friday, August 13th 2010

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Comments on this article

Posted by shanny on 13/05/2011 at 09:35

im always getting them and ive got them on my vigina what are they called i think ive got crabs

Posted by Optional on 03/01/2011 at 01:47

I just used a very fine toothed comb to comb out my hair (since it is very short and that's how I keep it tangle free) and I found a couple brownish-reddish bugs squirming around in the comb. My mum looked through my hair, and she found white specks, and some brown ones. Do you think I have lice? How do I get rid of it?

Posted by Optional on 31/08/2010 at 09:01

it helped me a lot

Posted by Optional on 29/06/2010 at 06:18

My mom thinks I have lice because of three small whitish bits on my hair. Is it possible to only have three even in the beginning??????