Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-09-26
THE FLY AS A PUBLIC ENEMY.

l.
One by one the plaques of Egypt
are being abolished by science. The
frogs we're abolished long ago by the
draintile. The flies are checked by
insect powder, and the darkness
that could be felt has melted away
before the arc light. The sixth
plague still remains in full glory.
The fly is always with US. The great
DR.. Radcliffe used to declare that
the three worst annoyances of life
we're smoke, flies, and irrelevant
questions. Humanity has hitherto
accepted these with patient shrug of
the shoulders as among the inevit-
able. At last the worm has turned.
1t is proceeding slowly to put on
smoke consumers, and has declared
war of determination against the fly.
The motives which whet our hither-
to easily blunted purpose are supplied
by science. They are, first, that flies
carry disease; second, that their
very presence is a sign of dirt.
That the fly is frequently the Angel
of the Pestilence has long been sus-
pected, but it's most vivid and i'm
pressive demonstration was furnish
ed by the disgraceful death-rate
from typhoid, one of the most
scandalous of the many murders Of
official stupidity, in our camps in the
South during the Spanish American
War. 1t was clearly proved by the
eminent commission of experts,
who investigated the situation post
mortem, that the principal means of
the spread of this dreaded disease
was the flight Of flies from the
excreta of the earliest cases to the
food exposed in the camp Kitchens,
carrying the typhoid germs on their
legs and prObOsces. Experiments we're
promptly set on foot, and a grue-
somely vivid confederation furnished.
| Flies were allowed to feed upon
meat smeared with cultures of vari-
Gus bacilli, then induced to allght
on gelatin plates, and walk about on
them. These plates were then
placed in an incubator, and every
step of the track of the fly could, in
a few days. be traced by the clumps
of bacilli which sprang up where
his feet had planted them.
Not merely typhoid, but tuber-
culosis, diphtheria, measles, and
sepsis (blood-poisoning), may be
readily carried by these pests. The
fly must go. Fortunately, the pro-
blem of his determination is not
difficult-he is not only cause but
a consequence of dirt. While he can
live almost anywhere, he can breed
only in some form of filth, most
commonly and chiefly in barnyard
manure, particularly horse manure.
This he infinitely prefers, but can
make shift with garbage barrels
dust-bins, or other accunulations .ot
dirt. Destroy or..properly..disinfect the
latter, and remove stables outside OF
town limits, and flies will quickly
disappear. That this is not toe
good to be true ore may satisfy him
self by a practical test. In small
towns. where stables can not be got
rid of, if the manure be thrown into
a tight box or pit, the opening Of
which is covered by wire-screer
swing door, or, failing this, as.
rough and ready substitute. the hear
be sprinkled once a week with :
little Paris green or other form O:
arsenic, to poison both the broodine
flies and any eggs they may deposit
the plague can be stayed. Or tht
problem may be attacked from th'
other end Of the line where open
vault privies are in use, b.!
sprinkling the latter with arsenic
:, and thus killing any flies that ma.
resort to them and become infected
We have known small towns, wher
the water supply was good, kept en-
tirely clear from any spread o
typhoid by this simple precaution
while their neighbors, with equal.
, good water supply, suffered severely
--Colliers Weekly.