Again, the Fly

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 7, 1910

A FLY'S favorite food is what the human being discards and revolts at: garbage, animal and human excrement, and every form of decaying matter. Its favorite haunt is the manure-heap and the garbage-pail. It walks over this mess, and with its feet and legs laden with what sticks to them it comes into our houses and walks on our food, in our milk, and on the tender skin of a baby. It has been estimated that a fly just back from its favorite haunts, at the height of the summer, carries on its feet more dangerous germs than have ever been found in a single drop of the worst city milk. By this very simple means the fly was found last summer in New York City to have been the direct cause of thousands of fatal cases of dysentery, cholera infantum, and typhoid fever with babies. For a long time it was believed that hot weather was responsible for the deaths of so many infants during summer; now we know better. Undoubtedly the heat, with all that goes with it, is disastrous to a good many children; but the fly is now recognized as a far greater and more serious factor, second only, even if it be that, to polluted water or milk.

The fly can be got rid of. This fact was proved in England, where, fifty years ago, flies were a nuisance and as great a danger as they are now in America. To-day, broadly speaking, England is so thoroughly rid of flies that the English rarely screen their houses. How did the English do it?—As we must do it: by each family keeping its house clean. Screens will keep flies out of a house, and fly-paper will kill them. But neither gets at the cause. There is only one way to do away with flies, and that is to keep clean the places where they breed and love to feed.

Manure-heaps of horses and cattle should be kept in covered pits, bins, or fly-proof closets, and stables and pens must be kept clean of manure.

Outside lavatories should be kept clean, and all excrement covered up or drenched with poisons, lime, or oil.

Kitchen refuse should be placed in closed, cleanly kept garbage cans. All decaying matter should be buried or burned.

All receptacles, such as cuspidors, should be kept clean.

Until we are clean ourselves we can not keep healthy, and until we keep our houses clean we can not keep away the flies.

If there are flies around or in your house, either you or your neighbor is careless with regard to absolute cleanliness. And until the flies are got rid of, as they can be with care and watchfulness, a positive danger to your own health and the health of your wife and children confronts you.—Ladies' Home Journal.