If "cleanliness is next to godliness," as the scripture goes, then the hardworking barbers of the West must have had one foot in heaven. But Lord help the barber whose tools were rusty or dirty or who offered less than sanitary conditions for their customers. Doing so could result in "Barber's Itch," defined by Medicine Net as a "superficial fungal infection of the skin" wherever hair on a man could be found. Men's Health lists other barber-caused skin issues too, with such scary names as Folliculitis, Tinea capitis, Impetigo, lice and even tetanus — most of which can be caused by "improperly sanitized combs, scissors, or razors," or even dirty towels.
In the West especially where water could be scarce, the Chudnow Museum verifies that some barbers began using "personal shaving mugs" in a vain attempt to stop fungal infections. What they found, however, was that Barber's Itch was spread from dirty razors, not the community shaving mug. By 1882, newspapers like the Colorado Miner advertised Dr. Frazier's Magic Ointment, which cured a veritable wealth of skin problems, including Barber's Itch. And in 1893, the Colorado Daily Chieftain offered an even simpler solution: mixing your own saliva with the ashes of a "fine Havana cigar" and applying it three times a day. Yuck.
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