332 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Now Low can we appl.y onr knowledge of the distribution of dis- 

 ease? Where do we find Hies? Mostly on food stuffs in both city 

 and c-ounlry. Take a look into the dining room of many farm houses 

 or notice the meat in the butcher shop during the summer mcflths. 

 One-seventh of all persons who die, die of tuberculosis, and tubercu- 

 lar sputum is distributed everywhere; in our city squares on the 

 sidewalks in city and country, along roads and in many other places. 

 The flies settle on it and convey it on their feet and proboscis to all 

 kiods of food and to the very lips of invalids where the nurse or at- 

 tendant are careless. In the dairy such material is conveyed to the 

 milk pail and also to the food of cattle. How can we prevent it? 

 B.y sanitatary measures that are after all only strict cleanliness. 

 Horse manure should be immediately placed in receptacles that will 

 not pern)it flies, to lay eggs in it. The floors of stables should be of 

 such a character that will prevent the accumulation of this material 

 in cracks. Knowing the life history of the house-fly gives the clue 

 to its destruction. 



Typhoid fever is frequcfltly distributed by flies. In this disease 

 the usual method of distribution is through the agency of the fecal 

 matter from the person ill wuth the disease. In war times the grav- 

 est crime that can be committed is the deposition of excrement else- 

 where than in the appoint cd latrines. During the late war the large 

 amount of fever was undoubtedlv due to neglect of this rule. Flies 

 are sunshine-loving creatures and will not voluntarily go m dark 

 places, therefore it is incumbent to have all privies and sinks ab- 

 solutely dark in the places devoted to excrementitions matter. Food 

 should be screened from them, especially in camps where typhoid 

 fever exists. In the country, privies are sometimes constructed over 

 streams and in otlier cases are open below and from the back; these 

 are most per«iicious as they permit access of flies at any time. These 

 diseases come from a specific cause; their method of distribution is 

 faii-ly well known; they a"re therefore preventable. 



It has been discovered that the cause of malaria is a microscopic 

 organism known as the Plasmodium Malariae. It is also known that 

 certain mosquitoes by means of their bites inoculate human beings 

 with this organism and they thereby acquire malaria. It is held 

 by some observers that (his is the sole source of this disease in 

 human b( ings, but the writer is not prepared to say whether malaria 

 is always so caused. The mosquito also disseminates yellow fever 

 in the same way, and it is incumbent to know bow to destroy the 

 insect and liow to protect ourselves from it. All the species of 

 moscjuito do not carry malaria but all are pests and have the same 

 general habits. The young are aquatic animals and live in pools of 

 stagnant water. The eggs ar^ laid on the surface of the water and 

 hatch in less than a day. The young of the mosquito come to the 



