THE HOUSE FLY 27 



The House Fly carries the germs of disease upon its body 

 and within its body. The germs which adhere to the body, 

 head, and legs are transferred to man and beast by direct 

 contact, or indirectly by reason of the infection of food 

 material. The disease germs which are swallowed when 

 the House Fly feeds upon its favourite foods, which are the 

 most loathsome kinds of filth, pass through the alimentary 

 canal and are deposited on food, or on various articles such 

 as those we frequently handle. These fly specks, as likely as 

 not, are swarming with germs, and they thus become a 

 grave source of danger to man and his domestic animals. 



On the contrary, the cousin of the House Fly, known as 

 the Blood-sucking Fly, of which there are many species or 

 kinds, transmits disease to man and beast in quite a different 

 way. A Blood-sucking Fly is provided with an apparatus 

 by which it pierces the skin of a man or animal and feeds 

 on the blood by sucking it up through the wound made by 

 a sharp lancet. Should the blood which it sucks up be 

 infected with the microbes of disease, then the fly at once 

 becomes dangerous, for the reason that some of the infected 

 blood of its host adheres to and dries on its lancet. If the 

 fly should subsequently feed upon a healthy man or animal, 

 this infected lancet conveys the disease germs into the blood, 

 and should the germs be of a nature capable of producing 

 disease, then in all probability they will succeed in breaking 

 down the natural resistance set up by the body of the 

 victim, and induce a disease according to their kind. 



Nagana or Tse-tse Fly Disease is in this way conveyed 

 to domestic animals, and the dreaded Sleeping Sickness to 

 man. 



The wise men who framed the laws and regulations for 



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