The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-06-22
WAR ON THE Fly
WORLD WIDE PLOT TO SLAY
THE LITTLE PEST.
Scientists Claim That Typhoid Fever
Would Practically Disappear Were
the Flies ALI Killed.

Would Practically Disappear Were
the Flies ALI Killed.
During these hot summer days in
which flies glory and in which they
thrive enthusiastically, it is we'll for
every individual person TO bear in
mind few facts concerning those
house hold pests. In the first place
single harmless fly may carry from
$50 to 6,6OO,OOO bacteria. These
germs may be, often are, the germs of
typhoid fever, in part. The fly bears
away virulent typhoid bacilli not only
uron it's tiny legs but also in its
digestive organs.
These germs it carries to food,
leaving them in quantities on every
tiny spot of food touched by a fly
which has come from typhoid pa
tents room. A colony Of bacteria,
begins to grow with wonderful raTid-
i1y. A person not in fit physical con-
dition; and few are in hot summer
weather, has an excellent chance to
catch typhoid fever from this con-
terminated focd. One case Of fever
then, of course, furnishes the bound
less possibilities for other cases.
1t is by the careful experiments of
,scientists that the habits Of flies are
made known.
Leland O. Howard, chief Of the
United States government bureau OF
entomology, in his "The House Fly,
Disease Carrier" a compleeetaolnfi5
Disease Carrier" a complete manual
on the fly and how to fight it, pub
llshed by Frederick A. Stokes COM
pany, this spring, gives scores OF ex-
periments, which show that disease
germs by the millions have been
found on flies by both laboratory
scientists and army surgeons.
Back in 1898, Surgeon General DR..
George M Sternberg, of the United
States aruy, warned the army gath
ering for the Spanish-American war
that flies would carry typhoid in
crowded camps. His warnings were
somewhat neglected. Flies were al
lowed to swarm from the tents of the
sick eoldlers to the tables of the we'll
and so every regiment of the United
States army developed typhoid fever.
In the national encampments In
1898, one-fifth of the soldiers de-
veleped typhoid. While water was
partly to blame, the doctors have de-
termined that the fly was the chief
agent for this terrible spread Of dis
ease. Doctors Tooth and Calverly OF
the British army, found in the Boer
war that in tents full Of sick men,
the flies left sufferers from sun
stroke alone, but settled pitilessly
on the faces Of typhoid patients-and
then swarmed over food 1t was then
noted that when the cold weather
killed the flies, the typhoid stopped.
From India, Lieut.. Col. F. w. C.
Jones shows that flies are the chief
carriers of typhoid; aid that all who
carelessly eat food which have been
allowed to be touched by the filth
bearing flies, are cothing less than
eaters of filth.
Aside from army camps, In the
ordinary peaceful cities, proofs Of
the fy's disease-bearing have been
found, though here, where there are
no army surgeons in charge of every
man, it is harder to investigate.
AS for the wholesome country, doc
tors have shown that practically ~
Of the terribly prevalent typhoid. Il
borne, not so much by bad water, as
by flies.
Once the country flies gather the
germs. they can leave them in milk
or butter for transportation to crowd
ed cities. they gather thickly abou'
most dairies, markets, etc. And ty
phoid germs will live in milk for ~
days ready to infect in the very
milk that goes to children-while II
butter the germs will live for l4c
days.
In the laboratory, many scientist:
have by careful experiments proved
that flies do carry germs every time
they touch them. In a number o;
cases cited by DR.. L. o. Howard II
his book, scientists have had file:
walk over and feed on solutions con
tanning typhoid bacilli. When 1a-0f
flies were transferred to clean con
tainers, they always were found u
carry the germs to the new vessels.
Typhoid causes more deaths in ONT
wear than yellow fever does in fifty
and flies cause 95 per cent. OF ty
phoid in many rural and some cit!
, districts.
What makes is most dangerous Il
that even where there are no ty
phoid patients about, still flies cal
collect the germs and carry them, TO-
goodsized proportion of typhoid pa
) tients, even when absolutely cure'
: so far as feeling goes, continue to d
"chronic carriers" and are likely tt
he sources of danger for the res
, ~ their lives-unles the flies tina
) TRY these germs are destroyed.