The Tupelo journal., 1910-06-24
! Health Bulletin.
Beware Of the Typhoid Fly"

The common house-fly is the
most dangerous enemy of man
kind. This pesterous creature is
especially prevalent during the
warm season of the year. He
begins his existence as tiny
wiggling worm in any pile of
filth. The egg is deposited in this
incubating material and hatch
es under favorable conditions in
about twenty-four hours after
being laid. It then remains in a
larva or maggot stage from five
to seven days. It requires from
ten DAYS to two weeks for the fly
to reach adult stage. The home
of the fly is. therefore, manure,
rubbish and garbage of all kinds.
The presence of the fly means
disease, unsanitary conditions.
Where there is no filth there are
no flies. Keep the home surround
ings clean.
His habits of living and craw-
ling make him one of the four
great agents in the spread of dis
ease. He is the chief cause in
the transmission of typhoid fever,
hence he has come to be called
the typhoid fly" All intestinal
diseases. such as chloera infan-
tum, which kills children by the
thousands, are more frequent
whenever and wherever flies are
abundant. 1t is this little pest
and not the summers heat which
is the active agent in the
spread of these diseases. Keep
the flies off of the lips of the
helpless babe.
The spongy feet and hairy
body of the fly make it possible
for him to carry thousands of
germs, so he is found trans
mitting not only typhoid fever,
but what is worse, the germs of
consumption from the sputum on
the sidewalk or cusoidor to the
food we eat. Flies transmit
con sumption to man.
During the Spanish-American
War thousands of soldiers died
of typhoid fever. Upon investi-
CATION the officers Of the regi-
ments were found eating their
food under screened tents while
the food of the privates was left
exposed. 1t is known that dis
ease germs of the sick are
found abundantly in the waste
matter. The epidemic was
confined to the privates and the
flies were seen coming direct
from the waste pits to their
tables. When the refuse in the
pits was covered with lime then
the food was marked by the
white tracks of the flies. Thus
the presence Of the fly is not
only a nuisance but he may
spread disease wherever he
goes. His touch may be deathly.
His presence should not be toler-
ated. The fly must be EXTERN
mated.
One can catch disease only by
coming in contact with it. For
example, the germ OF typhoid
fever must be swallowed in the
food that one eats or in the liquid
that one drinks, or obtained
frcm the vessel from which one
eats or drinks. Cleanliness pre-
vents disease.
Remember that milk is an ex-
csllent culture medium for the
the growth Of germs. If expos
ed to flies and few germs get
in it, in very short time these
germs will multiply into thous-
ands. Germs multiply with
great rapidity.
Therefore keep the flies away
from all food, whether it be for
sale on the street, in the store,
the butcher shop, or.in the kitch-
en-. But especially keep them
away from milk.
cit would be we'll for those in
terested in the promotion of
health to clip these Health Bulle-
tins and keep them for further
reference.)
Mr.. Trannie Wiygul, of Fulton, was
here SATURDAY. en- route home after a