The Nit Nurse, The School Board Man, and The Fever Van.
Every so often, when we was youngsters, we used to have what they call, or what we used to call, the nit nurse. She used to have a spot check every so often. This nurse would come round and she would examine every kiddie there in the school, looking for nits.
Well course, it was different in those days - kids are cleaner these days, that's it and all about it. We never had any trouble as far as I know because Mum always used to keep what she called, I think it's a tooth comb, I suppose you can still get 'em, I suppose they still use 'em, I don't know - I ain't seen one for years. But she used to get us kids and she used to comb our hair and comb and comb and comb it. Just to make sure we was clean, that was all.
And then there were the School Board Man. I almost forgot all about him. He used to come round the schools, I can see him now stood in front of the headmaster's desk there, with a form on a board like, y'know, and he would take all the kiddies names that were absent. If they'd had been absent I think for a day well that was it. And you can bet your sweet life he was round yer house, he was chasing you up and wanting to know all about it, and where you'd been.
Then there was the Fever Van. Course, you kids, you wouldn't know what a Fever Van was I don't suppose. Scarlet fever, and measles, anything like that they used to pack you off to hospital in the Fever Van, anything contagious like, y'know. And if we see this Fever Van, an (???) we used to call it, well us kids we used to run a mile! And as soon as anybody was packed off in that van, they used to come round, the parents (and baby?) used to come round, I don't know what they used but they used to put something down in he bedroom, or whatever room you'd been using, fumigating it like, you know. They used to lock the door, well shut the door, and block every hole up and that was it.
I think that used to last three days and you weren't allowed to go anywhere near the place.
