Removing head lice. Historical artwork The Insect Menace in 1491, showing a woman using a brush to remove head lice (Pediculus humanis capitis) from a man. Head lice are human parasites that attach themselves to the hair using their well- developed legs and claws. They feed on their host's blood, often causing intense itching and irritation. Before the advent of modern chemical shampoos, control of an infestation was limited to removal of the adult lice. Artwork in the collection of the British Museum, London, published in The Golden Health Library (edited by Sir W. Arbuthnot Lane).