FLIES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN' WAR 237 



by the way in which the Hies clustered about thcii' luDuths and 

 eyes while in bed." It was further stated in the discussion that 

 where the Americans used quickliine in their latrines the cooks in 

 the neighbouring kitchens found that the food became covered 

 with (juicklime from the tiles which came from the latrines to the 

 kitchens. 



Dr Tooth, in a letter to me, says: "I am afraid my wi-itten 

 remarks hardly express strongly enough the importance that I 

 attach to flies as a medium of spreading infection. Of course, I do 

 not wish to under-rate the water side of the question, but once get, 

 by that means, enteric into a camp the flies, in my opinion, are 

 quite capable of converting a sporadic incidence into an epidemic. 

 A pure water supply is an obvious necessity, but the prompt 

 destruction of refuse of every description is every bit as important." 

 Smith (1903), in speaking of his experience in South Africa, 

 says : " On visiting a deserted camp during the recent campaign 

 it was common to find half a dozen or so open latrines containing 

 a foetid mass of excreta and maggots." Similar observations were 

 made by Austen (1904), who, describing a latrine that had been 

 left a short time undisturbed, says : " A buzzing swarm of flies 

 would suddenly arise from it with a noise faintly suggestive of the 

 bursting of a percussion shrapnel shell. The latrine was certainly 

 not more than one hundred yards from the nearest tents, if so 

 much, and at meal times men's mess-tins, etc., were always invaded 

 by flies. A tin of jam incautiously left open for a few minutes 

 became a seething mass of Hies (chiefly Pycnosoma chloropyga 

 Wied.), completely covering the contents." 



Howard (1900), referring to an American camp where no effort 

 was made to cover the faeces in the latrines, says : " the camp 

 contained about 1200 men, and flies were extremely numerous in 

 and around the sinks. Eggs of Musca domestica were seen in 

 large clusters on the faeces, and in some instances the patches 

 were two inches wide and half an inch in depth, resembling little 

 patches of lime. Some of the sinks were in a very dirty condition 

 and had a very disagreeable odour." 



A few examples of the prevalence of conditions favouring the 

 dissemination of enteric by flies in permanent camps may be 

 noted. Cockerill (1905), in describing camp conditions in 



