The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-04-15
WILL FIGHT PESTS
WAR TO BE MADE ON MOSQUITO
AND HOUSE FLY.
Cities and Villages in the sout
Plan Vigorous Campaign Against
Disseminators of Deadly Disease.

Plan Vigorous Campaign Against
Disseminators of Deadly Disease.
A letter from New Orleans says
the entire South has notified the fes-
tive mosquito and the Ubiquitous
house fly that they are undesirable
citizens and that under no circum-
distances will they be permitted to
reside in or frequent the inhabited
communities. But the authorities
have not been satisfied with declar-
ations. Not much! They have not
forgotten the lesson taught them In
1905, when the yellow fever came.
So, all over the South, in the
smaller village as well as in the
bigger cities, the health authorities
are opening an early campaign
against the disseminators OF all the
deadly dieases-the mosquito anu
the house fly. 1t has been demon
strated that the mosquito is not the
only disease spreader. He, or she'
rather-does spread yellow fever.
But the house fly has been tried
and convicted of the crime of dis
seminating malaria, typhoid fever
and several other diseases no less
deadly.
Under the direction Of DR.. j. 5.
White, the famous marine hospltai
surgeon, who fought, and whipped
the yellow fever in 1905, a regular
set of laws and precautions have
geen devised. These are practically
the same in all the Southern cities
and States.
To begin with, all tanks or wa
ter cisterns, or vessels which hold
water or which might be filled with
water after rain must be covered
and screened with a screen or at
least IS meshes of wire to the inch.
Standing water on lots or commons
is not permitted. All shallow lots
must be drained, and kept dry, or
the owner is subject to a severe
penalty.
All stables must have air tight
receptacles for refuse and this must
be removed each week. Where there
are large natural bodies of water
which it is impossible to drain, the
surface must be disinfected and oil
ed at frequent and regular intervals
Even the water used in the sprink-
ling carts is heavily charged with
the strongest disinfectants.
But the authorities do not stop
even here. They go into the res
taurants, cafes, butcher shops, dairy
depots, and bakeries. They force
the proprietors to screen their prem
ises with copper screens and to
screen the receptacles in which food
is kept and prepared.
In the public and parochial schools
the teachers regularly and insistent-
ly impress upon the children the
danger of contaminations and the
necessity of obeying the rules laid
down by the health authorities.
| This not only insures care on the
part of the next generation but the
children are gradually instructed and
converting their parents to a belief
in the great doctrine of sanitation.
Of course, in the cities, regular
ly organized force Of sanitary police
enforce the laws. In the smaller
cities the health preserving rules
are looked after by State officers.
In connection with this campaign
it is interesting to note that those
years in which vigorous and care
full campaign was waged against
these winged pests, showed a greatly
decreased death rate, and most
encouraging decrease in the number
Of deadly diseases.
Several of the larger cities have
stringent antiweed ordinances. which
make it a crime to permit the grew
ing of weeds under penalty of fine
and imprisonment. In some places,
the weeds must be cut when five
inches tall, in others greater latitude
is permitted.
The boards of health in one city
exchange ideas with others and thus,
uniform system of defense against
Il i, ,oH