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familiar  presence  as  to  tolerate  it  and  merely  to  regard  it  as  a 
harmless  nuisance,  it  is  now  known  to  be  not  only  a loathsome 
and  filthy  creature,  but  a spreader  of  many  of  the  most  terrible 
diseases  of  mankind.  When  it  is  appreciated  that  the  fly  has  a 
radius  of  not  much  more  than  five  hundred  feet  from  its  place  of 
origin,  and  that  its  breeding  places  are  as  easily  sought  out  and 
controlled  as  those  of  the  mosquito,  there  is  little  excuse  for  an 
enlightened  community  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  this  filthy  dissemi- 
nater  of  disease. 
The  natural  breeding  places  of  the  common  fly  are  to  be  found 
in  stable  refuse,  in  the  excrement  of  animals,  in  decaying  vegetable 
matter  and  in  all  such  places  as  the  application  of  proper  sanitary 
precaution  would  control.  Engendered  in  filth,  the  padded  feet  of 
this  creature  are  so  constructed  that  they  readily  become  the 
vehicle  of  whatever  disease  germs  they  come  in  contact  with  and 
thus  befoul  everything  upon  which  they  alight.  In  its  restless 
career  it  wanders  among  the  foulest  places  and  leaves  a trail  of 
potential  disease  wherever  its  persistent  activities  lead  it.  No 
place  is  immune  from  its  abominable  presence,  the  infant’s,  the 
invalid’s  and  the  household  food  supply  are  alike  impartially 
visited  and  contaminated. 
The  period  when  the  fly  is  most  in  evidence  corresponds  very 
closely  with  that  of  the  greatest  prevalence  of  typhoid  and  dysen- 
tery and  there  is  no  longer  any  doubt  that  the  cause  of  many 
outbreaks  of  these  disorders  is  immediately  traceable  to  this  insect. 
In  view  of  the  danger  from  the  fly,  this  insect  should  be 
vigorously  excluded  from  the  sick  room,  especially  in  the  case  of 
contagious  disease.  It  should  also  be  kept  from  the  kitchen 
and  from  all  household  food.  An  effective  and  simple  remedy  is 
said  to  be  a weak  aquaeous  solution  of  formaldehyde  exposed  in 
saucers  wherever  flies  are  noticeable.  In  addition  to  these  meas- 
ures an  active  campaign  should  be  instituted  to  remove  all  refuse 
which  could  be  used  as  breeding  places  and  to  prevent  the  fly’s 
access  to  such  places  as  suggest  themselves  as  favorable  for  this 
purpose.  All  decaying  vegetable  matter  and  all  waste  should  be 
burned,  treated  with  kerosene  oil  or  removed.  Manure  from 
stables  should  be  kept  in  covered  receptacles,  and  no  open  drains 
should  be  permitted.  Above  all,  a supply  of  some  cheap  disin- 
fectant, such  as  chloride  of  lime,  should  be  readily  available  with 
which  to  sprinkle  all  questionable  refuse. 
When  the  public  conscience  has  been  awakened  to  the  extreme 
danger  to  be  feared  from  the  domestic  fly,  and  to  the  possibility  of 
the  control  of  this  noisome  pest,  outbreaks  of  many  grave  diseases 
will  be  fewer  and  will  be  confined  to  a smaller  number  of  in- 
dividual cases.  A joint  crusade  against  both  the  fly  and  the  mos- 
quito could  be  more  profitably  waged  than  against  either  separ- 
ately, as  the  methods  of  attack  are  in  many  instances  identical. 
The  presence  in  considerable  numbers  of  any  of  the  three  pests 
alluded  to  at  the  commencement  of  this  article  is  a severe  criticism 
