SOME PROBLEMS IN SANITARY SCIENCE. 117 



proper place to begin, it seems to me, is at the breeding place of the fly, 

 if, as the editorial points out, we wish to adopt "more eiiective measures 

 for destroying flies and preventing their multiplication.'- Referring to 

 the life history of the common house fly in '-The In8ect Book," by Dr. 

 L. O. Howard, we find the following description : "The house fly lays 

 its eggs b}' preference in horse manure. The universal occurrence of 

 uncared-for piles of horse manure in cities is therefore not only a source 

 of great discomfort, but is inimical to health, since the house fly un- 

 doubtedly distributes disease germs. The numbers in which house fly 

 larvae occur in horse manure piles may be understood when the state- 

 ment is made that from a quarter of a pound of manure from the center 

 of a pile, IGO larvae and 146 puparia of the house fly were taken. This 

 would make about 1,200 house flies to the pound of manure."' It would 

 seem as though the house fly question is another important problem for 

 our consideration. 



These are but a few of the problems presented by sanitary science and 

 a study of the methods in which the most fatal communicable diseases 

 are spread would present a number of similar problems. For example, 

 a study of the spread of malaria, calls to our mind the fact that the 

 specific organism of this disease is carried by a certain species of mos- 

 quito, and to restrict malaria it becomes our duty to exterminate that 

 particular kind of insect. In the same way bubonic plague leads us to a 

 fight against rats, which are the carriers of this disease, and so on, through 

 a long list of diseases. It is evident from this brief consideration of 

 the subject, however, that the solution of all sanitary problems must be 

 reached to a great extent by a campaign of education. Sanitary Science 

 points out the remedy, but the public must be taught to accept it. 

 Guy L. Kiefer, A. M., M. D., Chief Health Officer, 



Lecturer on Hygiene in Detroit College of Medicine, 

 Detroit. 



