The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-04-20

IeBloAS the nlgneSt medical and Scien-
unc authorities In the United States
~ ana Europe are now generally united In
declaring.
cSSI The dissemination through this in
sect OF the epidemic, infantile paralysis,
which last year killed thousands Of New York's
children is but one of the many counts in the in
dlctment against the filthy fly. Infantile paraly-
sis is peculiarly shocking because II deforms chill
dren SO cruelty, but In its destruction of life II is
Tar less serious than typhoid fever which VIC
now Know to be largely fy-borne disease SINH
larly the fly probably causes far more mortality
,hrough lts fundamentally in spreading tubercu-
iosls than as carrier of infantile paralysis
All over the world scientists are studying the
n.y. discovering dangers to public health
caused by 1t and suggesting new methods oF av-
terminating it.
Or. L. o. Howard, the chief entomologfst of the
united states government, now suggests that the
name typhoid fly" should be given to the common
mousse ny, because the latter fails to suggest
the deadly character
Mr.. Howard tells how the deadly character of
the ny was proved by feeding flies with pure cul-
cures OF the typhoid bacillus. Material from the
bodies of the insects and hy-specks made by them
were then examined and found to contain the
oacili. This material was injected into animals
and proved to be vrulent
Files Carry Typhoid.
There were 25O,OO0 cases of typhoid In the Unit
ed States last year, and over $4,000 proved fatal
During the Spanish-American war flies which had
swarmed over infected matter In the lime-streUn
pits walked over the soldiers food leaving traces
of lime. Many cases of typhoid occurred killing
far more than bullets officers whose tents were
screened from flies showed fewer cases. Typhoid
disappeared in winter, when flies were no longer
about Infected water was not an important fac
tor In these camps, but a majority Of cases must
have been due to the flies More than so per cent
of the total deaths in the war were caused by
typhoid.
The danger Of infection is greatly increased by
the fact that typhoid germs may remain active in
fnfo tfFna Etc.
from fever. Dr. George A. Soper recently discov-
cred case of a cook employed by several fami-
lies in the vicinity of New York. She had recov-
cred completely from typhoid fever, but she gave
the disease to members Of every family where she
was employed. Four other cases of this kind are
mentioned by Doctor Howard.
Spread EnterIe Fever.
During the Boer 100000 British soldiers
were laid up at one time by enteric fever, now
shown to have been spread by flies. Profting by
such lessons the United States authorities on the
Panama canal work protected refuse against flies
and this together with the careful screening of
houses adopted primarily as a defense against
malaria. reduced typhoid to a negligible quantity.
A long series of observations is being conducted,
showing that flies play an important part in
spreading Asiatic cholera. The British warship
Superb. in the Mediterranean. suffered from
epidemic OF cholera, which continued while at sea,
but the disappearance of flies IL ceased. Pro-
fessors Tzzoni and Cattani of Italy, in 1885, found
active cholera germs in the deposits of flies caught
in the cholera wards at Bologna, Italy
Cost Millions a Year.
Doctor Howard says the decrease In the vital
assets of country through typhoid fever in a
single year is more than S350.OO0000.
The typhoid fly is also a dissemination Of tuber-
culosis. DR.. Frederick T. Lord, the Boston scIen-
list. says:
"FIies may INCEST tubercuar sputum and ex-
crete tubercle bacill, the virulence OF which may
last for at least fifteen days"
Matter from tuberculous patients must, there
fore not be allowed to come in contact with flies,
and the patients should be screened for their own
good and that of the rest of the community.
Drs. w. NJ. Esten and C. J. Mason of Storrs ex-
pertinent station, Connecticut, who counted $50 to
100000 bacteria on flies, observed that these In
sects carried contamination from the pigpens to
the milk in dairies-
Life History Of Fly.
The only remedy for this serious condition OF
things" they say. us to remove the pigpen as far
as possible from the dairy and dwelling house.
Extreme care should be taken in keeping flies
out of the COW stable. milk rooms and dwellings"
Doctor Howard has traced the life history OF
the ~, finding that 40 eggs are laid by single
female and that in Washington IN midsummer a
generation is produced every ten days. In
perimentng he found that his flies would breed
only In horse waste, but the evidence indicates
that they breed In various kinds OF filth. His con-
clusion, however is that the vast majority must
come from horse stables.
As tested out and recommended by the United
States department Of agriculture, sprinkling and
soaking such a pest heap with a solution OF one
half pound OF powdered helebore In ten gallons Of
water (stirring well and allowing II 10 stand for
p hours). viii destroy all the maggOts, eggs and
larvae which are then present. Almost equally
good results. although not quite certain, be
secured by sprinEling freely with powdered boraK
and then pouring water over 50 as TO carry II
down all through the mass. The amount OF helle-
bore solution required IS about gallon TO the
9uShel Of manure.
recent calculation Of the fy's rate Of inc sase,