This seems a petty matter, but it puzzles me.

I do the gardening at our house, as befits a born Brit. In the course of this, despite wearing gardening gloves, I get my hands and nails dirty. In the old days the local pharmacy (US)or chemist (UK) carried nail brushes along with toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap etc. One never gave it much of a thought (what the hell is he talking about, I hear you cry! Yes, says I, I shouldn’t even have to think of about it, let alone write a post on nail brushes!).

My point – astonishingly, none of the staff in our local pharmacy have ever even heard of a nail brush! A what, they ask? No,they carry fifty three types of shampoo, but nothing to get your nails clean. I thus have to use a toothbrush. Yes, a toothbrush.

Epicurus conceived his philosophy in his garden. I’m sure he did the odd bit of weeding for mindless relaxation, and some slave used a donkey-hair brush to clean his nails. That was 2,300 years ago. Talk to me about progress.