The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-10-18
NATION TOWAR ON FLIES
EVERYBODY ASKED TO AID IN Ex-
TERMINATING THEM


Fever = The common Housefiy thu
Worst = Measures Against tho Pests.
The division of entomology. of the
Department of Agriculture has begun
q campaign against the fly, which is
held to be dangerous carrier of dis
ease. Pamphlets on the subject have
been prepared for distribution and
methods of determination have been
devised under the supervision of Dr.
O. l.. Howard, chief of the division.
| Already thousands of pamphlets
have been put into the hands Of health
boards and farmers throughout the
country. The necessity has been urged
of having better sanitation in the rural
districts. AS a result of various ex-
periments it is thought that the num-
Der of flies will be rapidly and enor-
mously lessened during the present
summer.
The pamphlets sent out by the gov
eminent will give to the people some
| information concerning flies that hith-
| erto has been in possession of the sci
| enlist almost exclusively. 1t will dispel
the illusian that the common housefly
bites, but it will call attention to the
fact that this insect, the Musca DOM
esica, is a dangerous creature.
Dr.. Howard has the following to
say about flies:
with disease caused by bacterial
organisms (Which belong to the plant
kingdom and not to the animal king
DOM biting insect is not necessary
for their transfer from the sick individ-
ual to the healthy one in the majority
OF cases. Such diseases are notably
typhoid fever, cholera and pulmonary
consumption.
with these diseases, and especially
the first two. the agency of the nom
biting flies becomes important, and the
part they play in the transmission OF
typhoid fever is particularly notice
able.
1T has been known for some time
that flies carry bacilli and bacteria on
their feet. This was experimentally
proved by allowing flies to walk over
culture. for later. when they walked
over sterilized media, the bacteria de-
veloped.
Moreover as early as 1888 it was
known by an Italian investigator that
flies fed upon pure cultures of typhoid
bacillus were able to transmit virulent
baccili. Again, early observation dem
Onstrated that flies are important
agents in the transmission Of Asiatic
cholera.
Typhoid fever, as will be remem-
bered. doubtless. was astonishingly
prevalent in the military camps of this
country during the war with Spain. At
that time the disease received thor
ough investigation at the hands of
special commission of army surgeons
appointed for the purpose.
1T was shown that although excel
lent preventive measures had been re-
commended in the circulars issued by
the Surgeon General of the army, these
instructions were not carried out.
Files swarmed over the infected
filth that accumulates around camp
and then proceeded to mess tents and
fed upon the food pepared for the SOL
diers. Thus, by the agency of flies 1t
was discovered and proved beyond q
doubt disease germs were spread and
carried to the food Of the soldiers.
For some time past have been
carrying on an investigation for the
rI'pse of acertaining what flies
breed In refuse OF various sorts. and
conversely, just what flies are found
in Gi.l!Lg rooms and kitchens where
fed being prepared and served.
These Investigations / have conduct
ed 18th the greatest care and In DIFF.
fercnt parts of the country.
I'm this way large amount Of ma
terial has been gathered. Briefly sum-
married., we have found that the num-
Der of species Of insects which breed
in filth containing germs is very large
not less in fact than forty -four species
Of beetles and seventy-seven species
of flies. Some of these are scarce and
others are abundant, but all are more
or less dangerous as carriers and trans
mitters of disease.
Nov in the experiments carried on
in order to ascertain exactly which
ones of these are important in the dis
ease breeding function, more than g.
300 flies were caught in kitchens and
dining rooms n different parts of the
country from Massachusetts, to Cali
farmia and from New York to Louisi-
ana.
1T was proved that of the flies
breeding in filth, six species were found
in houses in sufficient numbers to rem
der them dangerous. There are other
dangerous species which do not make
their rendezvous in kitchens and din
ing rooms.
cat the head of these six varieties
must stand the common house fly. This
insect constituted more than SO percent
of the whole number of flies in kit
chens and dining rooms.
while it was by no means one of
the species most commonly captured in
garbage and other refuse, 1t was shown
conclusively that under certain con-
ditions that insect may be factor of
the greatest importance in the spread