I am STILL trying to track down the meaning of reference to "alligator' in the "Miss Lucy Had A Baby" children's rhymes:

Miss Lucy called the Doctor
The doctor called the Nurse
The Nurse called the Lady with the Alligator Purse!

By happen chance I was reading a paperback historical romantic novel-yes I do read these sometimes :O)

And there was mention of a woman who was a herbalist who put her things in an alligator purse when she went to visit someone who was sick..I assumed that "alligator purse" meant a purse made out of alligator skin.

Could it be that an alligator purse was the 'signature' of an herbalist way back when? This would fit well with the central theme of Miss Lucy calling people associated with health care to help her with her baby who almost drowned.

BTW, Iona & Peter Opie mention what they call the strange reference in the USA to "the lady with the alligator purse' in this "Miss Lucy had a baby" rhyme but give no explanation of its origin or meaning.

I remember saying the alligator purse line during my childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s. I also remember this verse that goes with another rhyme, though which one escapes me now:

Out goes the rat
Out goes the cat
Out goes the lady
with the see-saw hat

-snip-

I assume that a "see-saw" mentioned here is a long horizontal hat,maybe like a toggle board [is that the right word?} that that you don't see too much of anymore at playgrounds I guess because they proved to be dangerous..

Any information about these rhymes or my theory about the meaning of the alligator purse would be greatly appreciated.