Summary
This black plastic comb was excavated at the Commonwealth Block site between 1988 and 2003. It would have been used for removing fleas or nits.
Health and hygiene.
'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'. This is a difficult maxim to follow when 'there is not one bath in sixty', when sewerage gathers in cesspits and open drainage channels line the streets.But the residents of Little Lon did practice personal hygiene. Archaeologists have uncovered toothbrushes and toothpaste pots, scent bottles, soap dishes, combs and hairbrushes.
Clean teeth and neat hair did not guarantee good health however. Doctors were expensive, so ordinary people had to rely on medicines like Holloway's Ointment and Hall's Vegetable Pain Conqueror as well as Chinese herbal remedies. Children were dosed weekly with the laxative castor oil, to keep their bowels regular.
Physical Description
This is a black plastic double-sided fine toothed comb.
Physical Description
Black plastic comb for fleas, and hair comb pieces Double-sided, closely aligned teeth Complete comb present, but in fragments Marks: SCOTTISH V LCANITE CO LIMITED PATENTEES
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Manufacturer
Scottish Vulcanite Co., Edinburgh, Scotland, Great Britain, circa 1880
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Inscriptions
Inscription: SCOTTISH VULCANITE CO/ LIMITED PATENTEES
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Context Number
04/29
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Site
[CCS] Australia, Victoria, Commonwealth Block, Melbourne
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Activity
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Specific Activity
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Classification
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Type of item
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