The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-07
DIR. Brown Plans To Get Out
Bulletin Literature.
PESTS DIRTY LITTLE THINGS
They Seem To Prefer the Vile
and the Filthy.
Many Diseases Spread by Them
in the Homes.

With the advent of the approac ching
summer season, always accompanied
by an increase in the prevalence of
typhoid and an extremely high death
rate, flies are coming in for their
share OF attention.
It has always been the general i'm
preston that flies were created on an
OFF day. Sort of fiddlin' work making
flies anyway. It was held that their
mission in life was one of extremely
doubtful importance. Principally
flies were noted for several major ac-
tivities losing track entirely of minor
negotiations. A fly's main ambition
seemed to be to get into plate of
soup, to buzz merrily into a brand new
bottle of milk, to get all tangled up
and go blithely struggling around in
dish of jam. Then, too. the joy of
their young lives was to make roller
skating rink out of bald mans head.
To say nothing OF rendering sleep inn
possible on summer mornings when
one vainly tries to court a few hours
extra shut-eye. This holds true es-
pecially on Sunday mornings.
Really a Great Menace.
OF recent years, however, flies have
been ranked a great deal higher 1t
has become known to the scientific
world that they constitute one of the
SIedIeSL IlefldGeh u the IicdllIi OL the
nation. Thru the tireless. efficient eff
forts of psychologists a high grade
production of milk is provided for not
only by law but by also the careful,
painstaking inspections of these bac-
teriologists who stand ever as a bull
wark of protection between the gen-
eral unsuspecting public and I'M
scrupulous or just careless milk pro-
ducers. Thru similar inspections of
water supplies they have also obviated
the danger of the spread of typhoid
thru infected water. Milk and water
supplies have been regarded as two
of the prime mediums for the casting
abroad of the typhoid germ.
There remains third source of in
lection, however. more dangerous
than both the others. According to
recent investigations of eminent au-
thorities. this is the fly.
According to DR. Earl G. Brown,
city health officer, in 1916 there were
ninety-two cases of typhoid in To-
peka. Nine of these cases resulted
in the death of the person contra citing
the disease. We do not worry about
water supplies any more; The city
water supply is examined every day
by the bacteriologist. The presence
of bacteria in the water would be de-
tected at once. There is left, however.
one big menace, the common house
fly. Few people suspect that the fly,
thai ScSIIlS SO Is III reality
one of the gravest dangers to the
health of modern civilization"
Army Recognized Menace.
In the army camps and canton
ments." the doctor continued. the
authorities had a more thoro knowl-
edge of this fact and did everything
possible 20 prevent flies. Considering
that the camps were larger and CON
tanned more people and animals than
the average city, the scarcity Of flies
was always decidedly noticeable This
was attained by an almost absolute
adherence to the strictest regulations
in regard to cleanliness. The build
ings were always kept as clean as it
was possible for details of men to
keep them. Food was not permitted
to lie around loose. All refuse from
the tables and kitchens was kept in
covered galvanized iron cans, popu-
larly known to the soldiers as G.. I.
cans"
The fly just naturally starts out in
life wrong. Flies eat filth
Tests have been made" the health
officer stated, by sprinkling flour in
places where flies were feeding and
laying eggs. 1t was found that soon
after they seemed to find their way
into the nearest house. Here they
roamed around the kitchen. getting
into open dishes of food. on plates,
silverware, wiping off their legs COW
NACu Win liIS SliIite ana ulSedSe IleY
had just left on pans of dough. bread,
/ jam. and other articles of food intend
ed for the table. They get into the
dining room and try out the food on
the table at meal times. The fly is
not choice as to diet He will eat. or
walk around on the best and cIeanest
food just as readily as he will get into
the Shiny and loathsome. He gets
on people. Perhaps lights on the
baby's face and tracks it up with
whatever he has been wallowing in.
The fly's feet are not big and he
| doesn't leave big tracks. But germs
are not big either. You can't see
them with the naked eye Still they
kill persons just the same. For in
stance, the fly might go into the home
of a person infected with typhoid.
smallpox or tuberculosis apd then
move on out into another home. OF
course he carries the infection with
him. Perhaps TO harm will be done
he NfNnw l.,