Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-07-19
FACTS ABOUT FLEAS.
SklN-PlERCING APPARATUS OF
THE FLEA.

AAASAS SooSN SbSh 5y Al ehhho Sohoe"as "A>
indefatigable companion of man ant
woman, the flea, says writer in th'
New York World.
The flea is deserving of some clOst
study, both on account of its remark
able physiological construction snt
also with view to its suppression.
Fleas are more generally diffused in
society than the other insects which
attach themselves to the human per
son. The latter are found almost en-
tirely among the unclean, but owing
to the remarkable locomotive powers
of the flea no one can expect entire
immunity from them.
Itappears that man and many othel
animals, especially if they are furry
maintain each a separate variety o.
tleas. The dogs flea will not trouble
a man, nor the cats flea a dog
Moreover, the flea, as Dean Swift ha:
observed, has smaller fleas that on
him prey; and these have smaller
still to bite 'em, and so proceed ad in
finitum."
The common human flea, or pulex
irritatus, has a high, sharp back and is
fat-sided. so that it is higher than it
is broad. In this respect it is the op.
posite of more offensive bedfellow.
The flea's body is covered with a
hard brown skin, arranged in a series
of overlapping wings. 1t has pair
of legs remarkable for their strength
and for other things.
The divisions of the flea's leg are
known as the coxa, the trochanter,
the femur, the tibia and the tarsus.
The coxa, which is the next joint to
the body, is very large, and it's freer
than in any other insect. The tarsus
in it's turn is divided into five Joints
and terminates in pair of sharp
claws, enabling the insect to hold on
to clothing. Body and legs are GOV.
cred with bristly hair. These point
away from the head and account for
the difficulty often experienced in
holding the insect between the thumb
and finger.
The fiea's mouth is of the type
known as suctorisl, and is admirably
adapted for absorbing liquid food
which it obtains by process OF perfor
alton. The mouth organs consist of a
labrum, mandibles, maxille, maxillary
palpi and labral palpi. Thus it has
three pairs Of organs and one single
organ for the work of obtaining nour.
ishment, and we all know that it uses
them with great effect.
The labrum, or upper lip, is a slen.
der saw-edged bristle, perforated
throughout its length with a minute
canal. The mandibles are on each
side of it, and are formed like two
straight, fat blades, pointing down.
ward and notched on each side like 6
double saw. The mandibular teeth
number about seventy.five in each row
on each side. There are three hun
dred of these sharp, glittering teeth.
The maxilie are two sharp triangu
lar pieces, furnished with a pair O
long four-jointed palpi, or feeders
The labrum. or lower lip, carries pail
of palpi each OF which has knife-likt
edge.
All these instruments cooperate
harmoniously in the work OF piercing
the skin with marvellous rapidity
When We remember that it require.
considerable pressure to make pir
draw blood through the human skin
we shall better appreciate the power,
Of tiny flea.
The flea has large stomach, bu
that does not measure its capacity fo
devouring blood. 1t is able to ejec
the contents of its stomach wheneve
an opportunity presents of obtaining
newer and fresher supply. 1t neve
misses an opportunity.
The flea shows preference for wo
men, children and persons with thir
skins.
A large flea is able to leap to th'
height Of foot, or about hundred
times its own length. If man coult
take a leap similarly proportioned t.
his height, he would apparently b.
able to jump over the Pulitzer build
ing. But scientific examination show
this calculation to be erroneous.
A medical authority gives the fol
lowing advice to those greatly trouble,
by fieas in their houses. The best an,
indeed only effectusl means of gettin,
rid of these pests is by thorough an,
systematic cleaning. Pulex irritan
goes through its various stages from
the egg to the perfect insect in a per
iod OF about q month, and the frs
thing to do, therefore, is thorough,
to cleanse all articles likely to form
a indus for the eggs at periods within
q month or before they burst. Furs
wooden garments, mattresses, pillow
and all such things, and the variou
folds and plaits in our clothes, are fire
quently chosen as suitable places TO
the deposit of eggs. While linen ma
terials generally receive frequent an
thorough cleansing, the articles W
have mentioned are often but imper
fectly cleansed, and herein, in man
cases. lies the unsuspected cause O
plague.
As long as the plague lasts blanket
should be washed at least once a fort
night and subjected to temperatur,