The record., 1917-06-07
BeZUQre the
DeadLyFly
Pest Causes More Death Thar
Do Murderers, Storms
and Poisons
DIRT HOME or INSECT

If the house fly ever stops long
enough in its busy career for self pity,
it must surely feel itself victim Of
the oft-quoted fcl7leaess of public
opinion.
''''' -. : lle3s:a So .l4>5,.ssssl .lsL lii.s
-;'turesE s;ts eurd aga ilsG7i r .affie
in the main from those of our fatlf s,
husbands and brothers who possessed
that attractive fly bait bald head.
Otherwise it was 50 familiar pest
in every household that it's presence
attracted little or no attention. We
used screens and sticky or liquid fly
paper to keep down the population and
save ourselves the irritation of the in
cessant buZZ-buZz of q hot day, but
that the Ay represented any real men
ace to the household health was not
imG gined. Eaby BuNting received holu-
lies 0n the Hy's porsrTering Qualities,
its marvellous WalI-cIinbing pr6WGSs
and its general meekness of nature.
Then suddenly the scientific lncn be-
gan to find out things about the rela-
1iOnship of the insect world to certain
prevalent diseases, Louise Fuller
writes in the Pictorial Review. The
mosquito became more than disagree
able pest: it appeared as the transmit
ter of malaTial germs. The tsetSe fly
and sleeping sickness, q particularly
deadly and incurablc plague, were
found to be intimately associated in
their labOrs. And the house fly, instead
Of Il
nestic animal, was upclOaked as a
very enemy within our gates, puryey-
ing germs Of filth and disease.
1t used to be Il popular custom to
discover a use for every living crea-
tuTe, and the sanitarianS tell us that
the flys principal value is as danger
signal, indicating the presence of dirt
in some form. Wherever you find flies
there is cleanup work to be done, and
the community which disregards the
warning Will not be among those boast
ing of Il low death rate.
Flies cannot live except in dirt; it is
their natural habitat. A really we'll
brought-Up fly as naturally prefers I'M
clean OdOrs as faStidiOus people prefer
sweet ones. They are bred in garbage,
manure or similar refuse; they derive
their daily SuStenanca from it; and in
due course they deposit their eggs III
it, thus completing the cycle. When,
then, a misunderstanding fly drops into
your milk or cream pitcher, scrambles
about a little and slowly crawls OUT
again, ne has brought Il minute pOr-
tion of the manure heap to your break
fast tabIe-minute, but not so minute
As the millions of germs which dwell
in this same manure, and which are
transmitted with it.
Every summer, by inst such means
the house hy kills more people in the
United States Of America than murder
storms, cyclones, mad dogs and poison
Gus reptiles. all combined. Not by di-
rect methods. of cOurSe-the fly does
not work that Way-but by spreading
the germs Of typhoid and various
other Intestinal diseases. The baby is
the tly'S mo5t helpless victim. As he
lies sleeping in his crib, the fly craWl$
over his heed and hands, his nursing
bottle or tCcthing ring leaving germs
in its wake TO be absorbed into the
child's system, not yet strong enough
to throw off nd countCract the disease
If there gre flies il your L"ua,. a.
your neignhoE's. you are c0',iting d;.i-
g"r for yourself ana YC51 hauscHciQ
Tf tho greer, butcher, cGEcT %al
uoCn-nan from whom you Dl>- youi
food rUffs has flies in his shop, eitkci
IIn1 in =
sn.f ,.lcrc the food is protected undel
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