The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-19
ny rr,.n,,r,1C 4. IlAsI<1N.

4 by TItt!DEIkIC ". IbASI<lN.
with the growing heat OF summer
i comes the increased danger or typhoid
.,npt intestinal diseases, the iai,rity
tof which nl,' spread by that ever hciiNcg
pest, the common house fly. With tile
fear of cplLerlics has come u .oncnrt-
ed effort OH the part Of progressive
cities to extermiuate the fly. There
are 100000 cases OF typhoid ever In
the United States every year, and ~
per cent OF the cases are fatal. The
fever is spread through three routes
water. milk and flies. Water Is re-
isponsible for the greater number OF
icnses, but infected milk has It's hun
Idreds to account for, and flies many
hundred more Last years investiga-
tons In New York City showed that
there were ESQ deaths from typhoid and
1000 deaths from OTHER intestinal dis
leases that were traceable directly TO
idiseas SEES spread through tho agency of
files.
4 Diseases OF II distinctly unpleasant
mature are those which the fly spreads
Ibest--Asatic cholera, typhoid fever,
Edysentery and tuberculosis. Bred IN
the filth Of barnyards and city dumps.
1.-THE house fly lives up to it's greatest
land disease. On it's fuzzy. hairy little
leg 1t can carry 100000 bacteria that
III drops In an Indifferent and careless
way into the nearest milk pitcher, on
the most convenient market table or
the most attractive confectionery stand.
lit is never direct and Intentional
imalcfactor. for 1t does not bite ana
infect that way. 1t merely trails
through, the filth that 1t loves and let's
the gathered bacilli fall off on any
bacteria may live for two weeks and
so can he carried long distances OH
the fly's legs. or, as they are indigesti-
BILE. they can be carried in the alinlen-
ltary canal Of the fly and spread the
lcontagion many miles from the origi-
man has established after careful work,
lin her laboratory.
| It was only in 1904, scarcely four
years ago, that the charge of criminal
the house fly. Up to that time AMI
even now in many rural districts. It
was believed TO be a useful scavenger.
Ia worthy and harmless member of
the Insect world. Then the medicine
men got busy in their private and
er valuable things that they demon
strated to the world was that the house
fly was directly responsible for some
twenty or thirty thousand deaths in
this country each year So war was
declared.
FOR the house fly can reproduce Its
Ispecies with rapidly and in num-
lbers that paralyze the modern stats
tician DR.. Packard {. short while ago
put one fly in a bottle and kept 1t
there for fourteen hours. In that time
lit laid 100 eggs. almost ten for every
hour. AS 1t takes only from eight to
Itwenty-four hours to hatch the eggs
land fly Is mature and ready to
reproduce its kind in ten to fourteen
do ~ . s,,xa 4, I,Il1
may be seen that even one fly In a
given summer can do much toward in
lcreasing the death roll of communi-
lty. and incidentally people It's world
with uncountable millions OF pests
within a year
The crusade against flies has been
$50 far confined to the cities. and to n
VERY few OF these. In the countrySand
rural districts. where there is most W.
.Iphoid and where the facilities for fly
from typhoid Is higher There arc
nearly three times as many cases OF
Typhoid in the country as there are
lin the city. and II is noticeable that
1.-THE city rate always goes up highest
lin September when the people who
had spent the summers in the country
turn cityward again. bringing the
germs Of typhoid ready for tho fly
to distribute when the disease has de-
lveloped The death rate is lower in
Hing of the disease prevents its spread.
1.-THE Indiana State Board of Health re-
GENTLY began vigorous campaign
against the fly. distributing educa :
tional literature and encouraging a
wider knowledge of the danger lying
troit over year ago recognized the
danger OF contamination from flies in
typhoid cases and issued Instructive
, circulars, making especial point OF the
fact that food must be kept Isolated
from flies. The national government
, has evidenced greater interest in
the control of preventable diseases by
| considering bill that will allow the
, United States Hospital and Marine Ser
vice greater latitude in handling con-
tagious diseases. and providing for CO.
!. operation with State. Territorial, dis
trict and municipal authorities in this
work. When it is known that insects
OF various kinds disseminate the germs
OF leprosy, cholera, dysentery, ele-
, |phantiasis, filariasis. anthrax, trachoma
/ Ityphus, cancer. tuberculosis and ty-
phoid, the need of national and inter-
Istate cooperation is kcenly evident.
Chicago has begun an educational
campaign on large scale. New York
} has been working with will and In
Idomitable courage ever since one OF the
sIcity bacteriologists Intercepted a fly
on its way from a stable to a milk de-
,
thousand bacilli were on its legs, and
that when these were left on glass
plate in the laboratory by the imprIs-
oned fly. a mass of swarming. death.
: dealing bacilli sprang into being, each
: capable OF endanserlng a human life.
, New York has found that infant NOR
tally is greatest in that city in fly
,, time. and health authorities are begin
: ming crusade that will make fly
screens an imperative necessity on all
houses. and that will abolish rank gar
bage and stable refuse from ill-tended
alleys.
Evidence against the fly is plentiful
. During the Spanish-American War a
{ committee appointed by the surgeon
. general Of the army found that typhoid
|, was not so prevalent among men who
, ate in screened tents, and that as the
II fly disappeared in camps 1T Knoxville
; and Meade, typhoid greatly decreased
!. Mr.. II. A. Veeder claims that the fly
is a more dangerous agent in spread
ing typhoid than either water or milk
], O. Cobb, of the Marine Hospital Ser
9 vice, has proved the fly carrier OF
tuberculosis bacllli. Inves gators in