﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I908 
  29 
  

  

  for 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  typhoid 
  fever 
  are 
  fingers, 
  food 
  and 
  flies/' 
  

   the 
  authors 
  holding 
  the 
  last 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  important. 
  

  

  The 
  possibilities 
  of 
  transmitting 
  typhoid 
  fever 
  are 
  appalling 
  to 
  

   the 
  layman 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  remembered 
  that 
  the 
  germs 
  of 
  this 
  disease 
  

   may 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  system 
  several 
  weeks 
  before 
  diagnosis 
  is 
  possible, 
  

   continue 
  in 
  numbers 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  weeks 
  after 
  apparent 
  recovery 
  

   and 
  in 
  exceptional 
  cases 
  may 
  be 
  discharged 
  from 
  the 
  system 
  during 
  

   a 
  period 
  of 
  several 
  years. 
  There 
  are 
  authentic 
  records 
  of 
  a 
  patient 
  

   .distributing 
  these 
  germs 
  for 
  17 
  years 
  and 
  being 
  the 
  incipient 
  cause 
  

   of 
  13 
  cases 
  during 
  14 
  years 
  of 
  that 
  period. 
  Furthermore, 
  Dr 
  'M. 
  

   A. 
  A'eeder 
  of 
  Lyons 
  cites 
  a 
  case 
  where 
  typhoid 
  fever 
  was 
  perpetu- 
  

   ated 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  in 
  a 
  locality, 
  ascribing 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  physician 
  

   recommending 
  the 
  burial 
  of 
  all 
  t3'phoid 
  excreta 
  and 
  the 
  execution 
  

   of 
  this 
  direction 
  by 
  a 
  favorite 
  nurse. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  soil 
  

   infected 
  by 
  these 
  germs 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  new 
  cases, 
  and 
  Dr 
  

   \'eec!er 
  significantly 
  observes 
  that 
  the 
  annual 
  recurrence 
  of 
  typhoid 
  

   fever 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  mentioned 
  locality 
  ceased 
  with 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  parties 
  mentioned 
  above 
  and 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   posing 
  of 
  typhoid 
  discharges. 
  

  

  The 
  evidence 
  against 
  this 
  insect 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  summed 
  up 
  

   briefly 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Virulent 
  typhoid 
  bacilli 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  upon 
  

   the 
  legs 
  and 
  within 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  persisting 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

   case 
  for 
  2^ 
  days. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  serious 
  outbreaks 
  have 
  been 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  by 
  competent 
  physicians, 
  where 
  infection 
  through 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  water 
  or 
  food 
  supply 
  did 
  not 
  satisfactorily 
  explain 
  the 
  out- 
  

   break. 
  This 
  positive 
  evidence, 
  while 
  not 
  establishing 
  beyond 
  all 
  

   question 
  the 
  culpability 
  of 
  the 
  fly, 
  is 
  further 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  

   opinion 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  reputable 
  physicians 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  experience 
  with' 
  outbreaks 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  

  

  The 
  evidence 
  showing 
  that 
  files 
  may 
  play 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  

   the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  cholera 
  is, 
  according 
  to 
  Dr 
  Nuttall, 
  absolutely 
  con- 
  

   vincing. 
  He 
  cites 
  experiments 
  showing- 
  that 
  cholera 
  bacilli 
  may 
  

   be 
  found 
  on 
  files 
  in 
  large 
  numbers, 
  while 
  they 
  may 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  

   ciejecta 
  within 
  17 
  hours 
  after 
  feeding 
  and 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  four 
  days. 
  

   Infected 
  files 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  access 
  to 
  milk 
  and 
  cholera 
  cultures 
  

   made 
  therefrom. 
  

  

  Typhoid 
  fever 
  and 
  cholera, 
  while 
  both 
  serious 
  infections, 
  are 
  by 
  

   no 
  means 
  the 
  only 
  diseases 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  conveyed 
  by 
  flies. 
  Cer- 
  

   tain 
  forms 
  of 
  diarrhoea 
  and 
  enteritis 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  due 
  to 
  spe- 
  

   cific 
  germs, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  bacilli 
  causing 
  these 
  

   infections 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  as 
  easily 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  as 
  

  

  