Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-07-19
BAD BUGS THAT
TRANSPORT GERMS
TYPHOID, MALARIA, YELLOW re-
YER AND OTHER DISEASES.
MOSQUITOES A MENACE
But Flies and Ticks also are MIS-
chief Makers-Dr. w. D. Frost
Lectures instructiveiy to the oh'-
versity of Wisconsin Summer
Session Students.
Madison, July IA.

Madison, July IA.
1--WE may we'll avoid the house OF
friends who permit bedbugs to remain
in their rooms, but the time VIII
come when we will as careIuliy
eschew the house where the house
fly is allowed the freedom or the
kitchen and dinner table," prophesied
DR.. w. D. Priest of the bacteriology
department of the university, ad-
dressing the students of the summer
session DIR. Frost described at
length the method in which various
communicable diseases are carried
by insect pests. He spoke, briefly,
as follows:
THE idea that various insects may
be the means of distributing COM
municable diseases has been held for
a long time, but the proof that they
do has been obtained largely in
the last decade. Insects may carry
disease in three ways: first, by serv-
ing as host for the infectious agent.
In this case the insect becomes in
fected by feeding on diseased body,
permits the germ to go through a
cycle of changes, and then, when
the proper stage in the life history
of the germ is reached, if the insect
incite the disease The mosquito
carries malaria and yellow fever in
this way, and in a very similar way
the bovine tick carries Texas fever.
The spotted fever of Montana is
probably also carried by a tick.
"The second method by which in
sects carry disease is as follows: An
insect may bite a diseased person or
animal and have it's biting apparatus
contaminated with the disease pro-
ducing germ. If this insect Their
bites susceptible individual within
short period of time the germ may
be inoculated in practically the same
way that a physician would produce
incubation by means of a hypodermic
syringe. Thus several important
diseases in cattle and horses are
communicated from animal TO animal
by the tee-tee and other biting flies.
1t is probable, also, that sleeping
sickness, the great African scourge
is carried in this way This disease
is producing terrible havoc with the
natives of western and central Africa
Hundreds of thousands have died OF
it, and it is likely to prove a serious
mr. 10
great Dark Continent. It's ravages
were formerly supposed to be con
fined to the negroes, but the disease
has occurred in several Europeans
Among these was the wife of a mis-
sionary. She died in England of the
sleeping sickness, and within the
last month another Englishman, 6
| member of The commission sent tt
| Uganda by the Royal society. died o.
the disease, which he contracte,
while performing his duties as a mem
Der of the commission.
In third way insects may carr
the producing organism in ;
passive way. The ordinary house
fly plays an important part in tn,
distribution sof typhoid fever. This i
done where it is possible for the fl,
to get at the discharges of typhoi,
patients. In walking over the de
jects the flies feet become covere,
with The typhoid germs. If the file
| then have access to human food, as i
frequently the case, the germs are lef
on the food. If susceptible person
eat of such food, typhoid fever i
likely to be contracted. The DOS
sibility of this means of infection ha
been carefully studied in the labora
tory, where it has been shown tina
these germs may live as long a.
twenty-three days.
/ I'm Chicago flies were caught /,
priyies, on fences, and even in house
where sewage was poor, and typhoi,
was prevalent, and the typhoid germ
was isolated from such flies in fv
out of eighteen trials"
Flies in the house are to ba cor
sidered as most undesirable from Al
aesthetic viewpoint because of thei
habits. declared DR.. Frost, but furthe
than this, they are to be regarded a
a positive menace to health.
Il