The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-20
HOUSE FLIES CARRY TYPHOID
FEVER AND OTHER DISEASES

Blacksburs, Va, Sept l9-"Swat
the fly is a popular slogan every
summer, but the observance of some
very simple rules will make 1t UNI
necessary to spend so much energy
in such ineffective combat with this
animal DR. NJ T. Smulyan, of the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute extern
sion service, gives some facts about
flies that are pertinent just now as
their eradication in the fall means
that fewer will appear the first warm
days of next spring. DR.. Smulyan
says:
House flies were once considered
beneficial on the ground that they
were scavengers. Today, however,
we know them To be dangerous enc
mics to our health, and. as such, no
quarter should be given them. 1T is
now clearly established that house
flies carry Uphold fever, Asiatic
cholera, dysentery and infantile diar-
rhea, and there is strong evidence
that they also carry tuberculosis. an
thrax, opthalmia, or pink eye" and
smallpox.
There are several species of flies
commonly found in houses, but only
one of these should he properly called
the house fly This fly, Musca Domes-
tca, is the medium sized. grayish fly
which constitutes. as a rnle. over 90
per cent Of the flies in the house.
its mouth parts are formed for suck
ing up liquid substances; Il, therefore.
cannot bite.
THE erroneous impression that the
true house fly can bite Is due to the
frequent occurrence in houses of an
other fly, Stomoxys Calcitrans. conf
monty called the stable fly and which
closely resembles the house. fly. This
fly has it's mouth parts formed for
piercing the snin, or biting.
Life. Historr and Habits of the
House Fly.
Musca Dom estica breeds in a great
variety of decaying vegetable and ami
NAL matter. but it's favorite breeding
place is horse manure Maggots have
even been found in such concentrated
and rather dry material as hen ma
nure. The fact that IL will breed in
human eXcreraent makes 1t very dam
eerous to the health Of human be-
ings. as it carries such intestinal dis
eases as typhoid fever and cholera.
So impressed was DIR. l.. S. Howard
with this and the more so because
it was not generally known. that he
applied the term typhoid fly" to this
fly to call attention and empha size the
fact
THE eggs are laid below the sur
face in the cracks of the manure
near the top of the pile, and one fe-
male may lay as many as 500 eggs
during its lifetime. The eggs usually
hatch in less than twenty-four hours.
and In midsummer the length of a
complete generation is only eleven to
fourteen days The large number OF
eggs laid by each female and the
comparatively short time needed for
the completion of generation &C.
counts for the enormous number OF
flies during the warmer part of tho
year 1t has been calculated that
II the offspring OF a single pair Of
flies all lived. they would. at the end
OF the summer. occupy space or
about one-fourth of d million cubic
feet,
The House F1y as Disease Carrier.
The house 'fy Is peculiarly adapt
ed for the spreading of disease, as
its body and legs are thickly covered
with hairs and bristles. Thus, when
1t crawls over infected material 1t
becomes loaded with germs, and la
ter visits to human food result In
their contamination. The fly Is even
more dangerous from the fact that
II carries bacteria or germs In its ali
mentary canal These germs are dis
charged. not only in its excrements.
but also III the small droplets from