Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-05-03
PEsKY HOUSE FLY.
Season Has Arrived For De
claring War on The House
Fly. A Very Dangerous
Spreader of Disease.

the apparently harmless house fly
For years scientists and physicians
have sounded the alarm but for
long time their admcnitions fell as
seed upon stony ground. However,
people are now waking up and re-
alizing that there is more than a
modicum of truth in all that has
been said and written concerning
the fly nuisance.
The state board of health is calling
attention to the great danger arising
from mosquitoes and the house fly,
from which the following is an ex-
tract:
''See the fly! Where? Most
everywhere. Upstairs, downstairs,
in my lady's chamber; out of doors,
in doors, on baby's face and lips; in
the milk, on your tooth brushes and
picks; on baby's nipple and teeth
ing ring; in the syrup and jam. Also
in the privy, pig-pen and stable; on
baby's diaper and nose; dining IN a
consumptive's spittle cup, sampling
syphilitic sores; the advance agent
for Typhoid & Co.; the greatest
disgrace of our time.
The house fly is of no earthly use;
it is constant menace to the health
of this nation, so much so that it
has been called the Typhoid fy"by
an eminent entomologist. Among
the diseases spread by this insect
are consumption and tuberculosis,
typhoid fever, infectious bowel
troubles, such as diarrhoea and dys-
entery, ssuppuration OF fostering"
of wounds and abrasions, summer
diarrhoea of children, Asiastic chol-
era and others. Finally, the insect
may actually infest human beings,
living in wounds or diseased mucous
surfaces, or in the bowel; in the lar
val or maggot form.
These disease are all transmitted in
the particles of filth which cling to
the hairy body and legs of the fly
these particles, consisting of human
or animal excrement, pus, blood or
decaying food, may contain the
germs of the various diseases nam
ed. The excrement of the fly, the
familiar fly specks: has also been
found to consain living disease
germs which had been fed previous
" to the insect and had passed
through its alimentary canal with
out losing vitality or virulence.
The heavy death rate from ty-
phoid and diarrhoeal diseases among
our soldiers during the war with
Spain was due chiefly to the agency
of the fly rather than to the bad
beef, of which so much has been
printed. In one of the large camps
of soldiers lime-covered flies were
commonly observed crawling over
the food on the mems table; the
lime came from the open latrines
used by the men.
1t is estimated that 5000 infant
deaths every year in New York City
are due to house flies. What the
yearly total for our state is can only
be imagined.
physicians now recognize the fact
that the fly is more common and
more certain vehicle for typhoid
fever than either water, milk or
food. Aside from its crimes against
health laws, the fly is violator of
all laws of decency and cleanliness.
It's unspeakable, loathsome filth is
alone sufficient to make its destruc-
tion an imp ative, universal necessi-
ty.
The best way to abate the fly
nuisance is to prevent the breeding
of flies rather than to attempt the
destruction of the full grown insects.
The female house fly lays her 100
eggs in horse manure preferably,
but any filth will do if it be warm
and moist. The possible alternatives
are the excrement of human beings
and of animals, decaying vegetable
and animal matter, collections of
trash and garbage. The larvae or
maggots emerge from the eggs in
eight hours. In five days they are
transformed into the pupa. In five
days more the adult insect leaves
the breeding place. About twenty
broods are possible in sl..gle warm
season i'll the latitude of South Caro-
lima. The time of breeding may be
prolonged by cold weather.
A great many flies are killed by
winter cold, but great many hi
bernate during the winter in out
houses and in dwellings,, in dark,
warm corners, in folds of clothing,
etc. With the first warm days Of
spring these lay their eggs. A ten
day period of warmth and sunshine
ha.ches out this first brood, and we
have these sudden swarms of flies
which are so familiar and so annoy
ing after the first warm spell of
March or April.
Keep always in mind, therefore,
that flies and filth belong together.
Filth is necessary for the propaga-
tion and breeding of the fly. In the