Paul Orselli wrote:

<< A colleague and I have both had personal conversations with
 the primary researchers at both Harvard and The University of British
 Columbia, and they BOTH stated that their is NO PROBLEM with head lice and
 hats in a museum setting. There is not one bit of scientific evidence or
 research to show otherwise.
  >>

...and several people offered anecdotal statements to the contrary, although
I note that they did not in fact describe head lice transfer occurring in a
museum setting.  Is it possible that there is some "museum setting" factor
which inhibits head lice transfer from hats?  Perhaps, as has been suggested,
museum hats are typically worn for too short a period of time to produce a
transfer of the little buggers, er, bugs.

Still, I'm wondering if these researchers are the same scientists who once
claimed that butterflies are aerodynamically unsound and can't possibly fly?
Or that there is no scientific evidence that beer can make someone drunk?

I seem to wear many hats in my museum, and was always wondering why I
couldn't get anyone else to wear them for awhile.  Perhaps it's due to that
irrational fear of head lice transfer...  I'll have to mention that there is
no scientific evidence that this can happen in a museum.

David Haberstich,
Keeping this under my hat.

P.S.  Oops, forgot those pesky smileys again.  Here they are... :-) :-) :-)

P.P.S.  And there goes the beer theory...  It's been a long day.

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