Syphilis, Lice, and the Law

Why do British and Australian lawyers and judges wear wigs in court?

The short answer:  Tradition, syphilis, and lice.

To start, the wigs are  typically made of horse hair.

Second, they’re expensive — from $500 to $3,000 depending on model.

Tradition is self-explanatory.  The tradition goes back to the late 16th century when people with syphilis were plagued by rashes, blindness, dementia, open sores and... hair loss.  

Hair loss was deemed to be a good indication of syphilis, and wigs covered over a lot of problems.

Wigs also made it possible for barristers to cut their hair short, which made lice less of a problem, as wigs could be easily picked or dunked in lice killer.