Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-28
Now Turks Upon Gr Atlantic Saboard for the Time

which he wishes to pierce he would SIM
ply push himself away when he tried to
insert the piercing apparatus described.
After he has commenced to pierce the
skin he alternately moves the two lower
parts of the apparatus backward and for
ward. The sharp point makes hole.
which the saw teeth enlarge until it is
big enough for the insertion of the pierre
ing instruments. At the same time the
saving and stabbing operation increases
the flow Of the victims blood and thus
makes it possible for the flea to get bet
ter meal. Having gotten down to where
there is a good flow OF blood he begins to
extract 1t through a tube formed by the
half groove in the stylet and that in the
saving instruments coming together. The
then thin. fiat sides Of the insect move in
and out like pair Of bellows until he
has gorged himself.
1T should be noted that. In contradis
tinction to the mosquito. the flea does not
expectorate into his victims wound at
the same time that 1t eats. At the places
where the armor Of the flea Overlaps
there is series of small holes called
spiracles, eleven on each side of its body.
These are the breathing openings and
connect with a series of tubes carrying
air to the various parts Of the body
These openings constitute the insects
most vulnerable point, and aside from
starvation and incineration. the only
method by which fleas can be killed
wholesale is by poisonous gases and
substances which will clog these holes.
In proportion to its body weight the
flea has the longest and strongest hind
legs of any creature in the animal king
dom If you were built similarly your
legs would be seventeen rect long ana you
~
the Library of Congress and clear the
Statue of Freedom on the dome of the
Capitol en- route.
.On the extremity of it's legs the flea
has claws somewhat like the cant hook
which lumbermen use. When it does not
move by series of jumps it lies on It's
side and Wiggles along
Its eggs are white, glistening parti-
cles. These it deposits in dust such as Is
found in floor cracks When the female
lays them she very thoughtfuliy deposits
a small pellicle of blood on the point OF
each to furnish the first meal Of the little
creature Matched. After variable period
there comes out of the egg small. white.
glstening hungry worm which eats the
dried blood on its egg shell, sheds Its
coat a few times. becoming browner at
each mott, and finally goes into rest
ing state during which it proceeds to
weave about itself a beautiful minute,
fairylike cocoon. From this 1t energies
a very youthful flea and Immediately
seeks warm FLOODED host. At this time
it is positively ferocious and If not fed In
forty-eight hours it is apt to die. But
with careful feeding a flea will live to
fairly ripe old age-slx or eight months.
Having thus traced this insect from
the cradle to the grave, 1t may be in
teresting to note the important part
which it plays in the transmission of one
of the most dreaded diseases to which
human flesh is heir.
Now, suppose that a flea, or many
feaS-because rodents have a large num-
Der on their furry hideS-iElbibe this pest
laden material The rodent dies The
neas leave it's cold body and seek a new
host If this chances to be a rat another
case of rodent plague is produced. But
IT, unfortunately, it happens to be a man
who is chosen by the flea a place of
residence and SuStenance, a case of hu-
man plague results
The flea is filthy animal and has
the disgusting habit of depositing its
eXcrement at the same time that 1t
feeds. If it has previously taken
plague-infected blood this excrement is
loaded with living virulent plague bacilli.
AS result of the bite there Is a certain
amount of irritation. and the victim nat
ural.y rubs and scratches the place thus
irritated. In this way the plague bac-
terra rubbed into the skin, where
they are picked up in the Emphatic
stream and carried to the nearest lynn
phatic gland. Most of the bites occur on
the victims lower extremities, and the
glands to which the bacteria are car
glands are more or less filters, and they
filter the germs out of the lymph stream.
Then in the gland battle is given
against the invaders, and as result
there is produced heat, redness and pain
phauc gland. 1t is from the occurrence
of this bubo that the disease gets its
name, bubonic plague II the disease
remains in the gland, as it most COM
monty does, we then have this bubonic
type of plague. But II the battle in the
gland proves unavaiiing and the organ
isms find their way out into the circu-
lating blood. there to be carried to all
parts of the body, We have the sep
ticemc dirty blooD form Of the dis
ease. Sometimes the bubonic form be-
coming septicemic develops finally into
the pneumonia form by reason of the
Judgment of the bacteria In the lungs,
thus producing plague pneumonia.
More commonly. however, this last
named form is transmitted direct from