Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-07-31
Fly Spreads Infectious Diseases.

6QuuT6u turing bl6 SumIDeT IuOuCllS.
Although there are some good quail
ties attributed to the fly, the bad
qualities are of more serious nature,
and according to local physician, a
movement should be started to study
the fly and become acquainted with
the danger of the insect
He says: Flies as common carriers
of disease are no longer disputed, any
more than the fact that the mosquito
carries the disease of malaria from the
miasmatic swamps and innoculates
the individual with his bill.
You know all about the fly. He fol-
lows you to the table in spite OF the
careful housekeeper, tastes your coffee
before you do, or takes bath in the
cream or plays ''tar baby" in the
syrup. The fly is domestic and play
full but he is so beastly dirty and
filthy that he is nasty.
The fly is a glutton. He tackles
anything to eat or drink. The pesti-
ferrous fly has many chances to spread
disease from one person to another or
deposit the infective material upon
plants or vegetable, upon dishes, cups
and edibIes. Cholera epidemics have
proven the fly to be the carrier of in
lection by depositing the vibro upon
food with their feet and wings from
their dejecta which is loaded with
bacteria.
Epidemics of typhoid fever IN camp
life are due TO fly infection of the food
and not so much from water contamin-
alton as water supply can be and is
carefully protected from such con-
tamination
Isolated cases of typhoid fever in
the country districts are more often
results of fly infection than of water
Infection
Consumption is the most puzzling
of our contagious diseases and the fact
of it's spreading from one person to
another is one of the hardest problems
before us today You lelieve and so
do l that it is most frequently dis
ease of the lungs, born into the same
by means of contaminated dust. but
believe that the greater sources of in.
fecticn by the consumptive germ come
about by means of the fly planting
sputum on food from its wings and
feet and dejecta
g.
tives' sputum and found the bacilli
plenty in the focal matter. If the fly
carries disease as typhoid and tuber-
culosis, why is it not probable that he
may carry diphtheria, scarlet fever or
any infectious disease?
Look about you and see swarms of
flies On decayed matter, in the garbage
can and manure pile. watch them COL
lect on the filth of the streets. See
him light on the candy offered for
sale and the fruits and vegetables,
especially grapes and oates. These
same flies can load up with this filth
and carry it to clean homes and to
shops where our food stuffs are ex-
posed to easy contamination.
You say cooking destroys the germ.
This grant, but the danger is con-
tamination after cooking as colonies
of bacteria grow rapidly on recently
cooked foods, thereby increasing
danger of infection, as potatoes. bread
and blood serum used as medicine
to grow bacteria, which grows pro-
life in few hours time
This is no idle picture of dangers OF
fly infection. Scientists in watching
flies have proven that their dejecta
contains millions of bacteria Some
people leave their tables set with cold
food from previous meals, flies assem-
bic in great numbers upon this food
which will be eaten at next meal if
not before.
In the Philippines it was hard to
check cholera because the flies con-
taminated the foods aud sweet stuff
sold by vendors. Now il typhoid and
colera. why not tuberculosis and
leprosy?
The public should be taught these
things and they will readily see the
point when presented to them correct
ly. Let US wage the W ar against the
fly infection by talking to the house,
keeper. She is not slow in accepting
new ideas of this kind at least, thus
talk flies land other insects for that
matter) to your lady friends. Screen
the house and especially the food
stuffs, impress it upon your grocery
man and buy only where thorough
cleanliness is pratciced and the food
stuffs screened
Talk about pure food law. 1t is not
in it. Compel sellers of candy,
fruits, breads and pastries to protect
their goods, asking if such has been
screened from contamination. Lend
a helping hand to the ladies in an
effort to make the city officials enforce
the garbage contracts. And last, let
each sweep before your own doorstep.
Cedar Rapids Republican.
In consular report just issued in
London, il is stated that Danish