Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-06-28
GOVERNMENT WAR ON FLIES.
Everybody Asked to Aid In Extermi-
mating Them.

mating Them.
The division of entomology Of the de-
partment Of agriculture has begun q
campaign against the fly, which is held
to be a dangerous carrier of disease.
Pamphlets on the subject have been
prepared for distribution and methods
of determination have been devised un-
der the supervision Of DR.. o. L. How
ard, 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 exper-
iments it Is thought that the number
of flies will be rapidly and enormously
lessened during the present summer.
The pamphlets sent out by the gov
ernment will give to the people some
information concerning flies that hith-
erto has been in possession of the SCI
entists almost exclusively. 1t Will dis
pei the illusion that the common house.
fly bites, but it will call attention to the
fact that this insect, Musca domestica,
is a dangerous creature.
DIR. Howard has the following to say
about flies:
"With disease caused by bacteria or
ganisms (Which belong to the plant
kingdom and not to the animal king
dom) a 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
fever, cholera and pulmonary consump-
tion.
with these diseases and especially
the first two, the agency Of the non
biting flies becomes important, and the
part they play in the transmission OF
typhoid fever is particularly noticea-
| BILE.
1T has been known for some time
that flies may carry bacilli and bac-
terra on their feet. That was expert
mentally proved by allowing flies to
walk over culture, for later, when they
walked over sterilized media, the bac-
tcria developed.
Moreover, as early as 1888, 1t was
shown by an italian investigator that
flies fed upon pure cultures of typhoid
bacillus were able to transmit violent
bacilli. Again, early observation DEM
onstrated that flies are important
agents in the transmission Of Asiatlc
cholera.
Typhoid fever, as will be remem-
bered doubtless, was astonishingly
prevalent in tie military camps of this
country during the war with Spain. At
that time the disease received a thor
ough investigation at the hands of a
special commission of army surgeons,
appointed for the purpose.
1T was shown that although excel
lent preventive measure had been rec
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 a camp
and then proceeded to the mess tents
and fed upon the food prepared for the
soldiers. Thus, by the agency of the
flies it was discovered. and proved be-
yond a doubt disease germs were spread
and carried to the food of the soldiers.
For sometime past have been car
rying on an investigation for the pur-
pose of ascertaining what flies breed In
refuse of various sorts, and conversely,
lust what flies are found in dining
rooms and kitchens where food Is being
prepared and served. These investi-
cations I have conducted with the
greatest care and in different parts of
the country.
I'm this way a large amount of ma
terial has been gathered. Briefly sum-
married., we have found that the num-
ber 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
ase-breeding function. more than 2.3OO
flies were caught in kitchens and din
ing-rooms in different parts Of the
country from Massachusetts to Califor-
mia and from New York to Louisiana.
1T was proved that of the flies breed
ing in filth, six species were found In
houses in sufficient numbers to render
them dangerous. There are other dam
gerous species which do not make their
rendezvous in kitchens and dining
rooms.
"At the head Of these six varieties
must stand the common house fly.
This insect constituted more than 9S
per cent. of the whole number Of flies
captured in kitchens and dining-rooms.
while it was by no means one of
the species most commonly captured in
garbage and other refuse it was shown
conclusively that under certain condi-
tions that insects may be a factor Of
the greatest Importance in the spread
Of intestinal diseases.
I'm the most cleanly and best cared
for portions of a large city these con-
ditions, of course. do not exist. The
admirable water supply and sewerage
systems in such localities obviate in a
large measure typhoid transfer posi-
bilities. Yet even in such places the
danger may exist.
| But in army camps and in small