The Glenwood post., 1911-06-24
More Dangerous to Human Health and
Life Than Most People Imagine
JUST A few PRECAUTIONS

Homer Croy in Ladies' Home Journal
If the question were asked. "What is
the most dangerous animal in the
world?' the answer would PROBABLY be
"The lion,' or "The rattlesnake. - But
it would be far from the truth. The
lion always gives a warning growl be
fore springing, while the snake sounds
its rattle before striking The really
"most dangerous animal' comes upon
its prey in a rambling, genial way, fly
ing the flag of sociability. 1t is the
housefiy.
The. average female fly lays between
one hundred and one hundred and fifty
eggs, but many are more prolific In
fact fly under observation at the
State Agricultural Station at Storrs,
Connecticut, laid one hundred and TWEEN
ty eggs in fourteen hours. 1t takes ten
or twelve days for an egg to develop
into a fly. which means that dozen
generations can be born in single
season. This again means that a female
fly, with luck on its side, beginning in
the spring, may by mid autumn be the
progenitor of 1875 ,3l2, 100000 flies.
Fortunately this number do not sur
vive. Limitation in the food supply
sounds the call for most of them; vary
ing temperature carries off many more,
and certain fungous disease mows
swaths in their ranks. 1t seems too
good to be true but flies really have
diseases of their own and they have
natural enemies. The household my
riapod, or centpede, obligingly makes
away with many of them, and spiders
do not spin their webs for nothing
Nevertheless, there is a fortune await
ing the scientist who can devise meth
od which will exterminate the fly.
There are many kinds Of flies, but
the common housefy is the worst be
cause it sticks the closest, is ever alert
and always ready to swoop down upon
us at a moments notice.
The indictments against the fly are
startling. When the epidemic of ty-
phoid broke out in the American army
during the late trouble with Spain the
source of the contagion could not be
discovered. The food and water sup.
plies were examined and found to be
creditable; it was mystery until Sur
geon General Sternberg began to sus-
pect the flies. An investigation showed
that disease was due to the transmission
of bacteria from the refuse pits to the
mess tents, which were not screened. In
that war flies killed four of our men to
every one slain by Spanish bullets. The
japanese protited by our experience IN
their campaign aginst Russia, giving
no quarter to the flies, with the result
that they lost four men by wounds TO
one by disease. Now when nation
goes to war the first enemy it opens fire
on is the fly.
It Is the Worst Animal for Carrying
Disease Germs
The ways of the fly are devious. For
lbS size, IL Is Lue UtSb WI "oioll dhAhiS-
known for carrying disease germs The
mosquito has a bad reputation, but it
is not so versatile as the ordinary
housefy. The mosquitoes specially is
malaria, while a fly distributes Asiatic
cholera, typhoid, dysentary, tuberculosis,
ophthalmia and even smallpox. As
science gets better acquainted with the
fly it may find it guilty of even worse
things, but, as it is, there is enough
evidence to convict.
A fly is a kind of bacterial parcels
post; the feas on the proverbial dog
are few and far between in comparison
with the germs on fly. A fly with only
a thousand germs may call itself clean.
Why = Fly Washes Its Hands"
When a fly "washes its hands" it
simply means that it is shaking of
some thousands of germs. They never
come. into your house unless they are
invited-that much must be said in
their favor. For every fly there is. a
bit of filth somewhere. A fly in the
kitchen 10 more damaging evidence