The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-14
FLY PERIL MORE
DEADLY THAN WAR
Death Dealing House and Stable Flies
Born in Filth, Live in Filth and
Yet Constant Companions
OF Mankind.

! Why tolerate a house or barn full OF
!, iliesy DO you realize they are the most
! prolific carriers Of infectious diseases
knowng Would you sit idly by while
] victims of cholera scarlet or typhoid
/. fever, infantile paralsis, or the like were
3 in your households Let neighbor's
I eases, and you would shun the place as
the devil shuns holy water. Yet you
permit not one, but thousands OF flies,
to enter your home to attack your chill
dren, and think nothing of it.
,, II is only within recent years that the
treachery of flies has been completely
proved. Hence the ignorance OF the
general public on this point is not sur
prising. But now that we know that
flies. do carry these diseases from place
10 place, it behooves ms to fight them as
We would deadly serpent. Recent ex-
periments OF the Bussey institute, the
Harvard medical school, and the Mass
lachusetts state board of health have
shown conclusiyely that flies, particu-
larly the stable fly; is the carrier of the
much dreaded dreaded virus of infan-
tile paralysis. Some time ago Prof.
Theobald Smith showed that Texas
fever of cattle is transmitted through
ticks, and the government is spending
thousands OF dollars to meet the diff
Guilty. Following directly on that dis
covery came the enlightment that the
virus OF malaria and yellow fever are
| Transmitted by certain insects, and that
Of the sleeping sickness of Africa by the
tsetse fly As result OF this work,
Uncle Sam cleared first Cuba and then
the canal zone of the epidemic of yellow
fever and the scourge of malaria, which
| hitherto made living so dangerous for
white men in the tropics.
Infantile Paralysis Puzzled All.
In the infantile paralysis expert
ments, Prof. Rosenau and his associates
OF the Harvard medical school first in |
fected monkeys, with the paralysis |
germs. They were then allowed to be
bitten BY the stable fly After neces-
sary interval, these flies were allowed
10 bite other monkeys with the result
that the animals exhibited all the
symptoms of the disease in six cases out
OF u, establishing the fact that the dis
ease can be carried by these insects.
The experiment was repeated and con-
lrmed by Drs Anderson and Frost of
the public health and marine hospital
service at Washington. Hence the proof
is complete that flies carry the virus
which has kept the medical profession
guessing, and parents in constant fear
IN recent years.
The bacilli of tuberculosis are easily
hy the fly. because it feeds !
on sputum, and because the tubercle
baclli may pass alive through the d.
gestive tract and appear in fly excretia,
commonly known as fly specks. DIR.
Lord found these germs alive in the ex-
cretia of flies fed with sputum Is days
after they had been passed.
Who, either at home or in some pub
lie restaurant, has not been compelled to
fight for his food with the myriads Of
house flies that swarm about? The
wonder is where they all came from.
would probably show one
or more of three canses operating: /, :
Neglected garbage; g some stable with n
manure; or 3. dump near H
BY. At the seashore other species of II
fly than the house fy find the dead fish II
thrown ON shore an excellent breeding II
ground. Ill
The disgusting Life Cycle Of Flies. II
A single house fly LAYS 100 to 140 II
,ggs, the larve. or maggots, leave the III
,gg about eight hours after laying; they II
nature in five to eight days and then
,upate; the pupG mature in five to
even days. The adult fly requires
therefore, at least 10 days from the
lime of egg laying to mature. One
killed in figures can calculate the II
rapidity with which flies can
multiply if left unchecked. After a II
ew generations, which requires but a \
REF period. the progeny can be count H
d in millions.
To thoroughly grasp the best means \
{ fighting them, il is well to recall II
heir repulsive life cycle. Flies lay II
heir eggs upon horse or COW dung, de- II
aying vegetables, meat, cheese, dead II
rimals and human exeretia The Larvae II
merge from the egg and feed on the II
lass on which they were deposited. II
fter variable number of days they II
nut themselves into their skin, which II
rms hard case around them and II
it they are known as pup@. There II
lev undergo that marvellous transfer II
alton into the winged insect.
Different species of flies prefer differ
It decomposing material, Blow flies
-efer meat; flesh flies. dead animals;
me. COW dung; Others, horse dung.
he house fys chief breeding place is
rise manure, but according to recent
rdes they are quite willing to accept
ggeries, fermenting piles of straw,
per, rags and human exeretia.
Characteristics of Stable Fly.
The stable fly. which is especially
vigorous to human beings, is much
,e the ordinary house fly, to which it q
closely related. and for which it is \
aquently mistaken on account of size,
mewhat ,similar coloration and COM
On occurrence near human habitations.
,wever, the Harvard alumni bulletin
ints out that they differ in some re-
ects of habit, structure and distribu- -
m.
The adult stable fly feeds exclusively II
blood. biting various animals and
5 commonly human beings. Natural
they are more common in the eoun-
:. where there are more animals, al
Dugh il is difficult to find any place
any size where. under ordinary con-
ions. the fly does not occur. The
bic fly does not enter houses so com