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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1911)
The House Fly HAH.. nan Killer FRED A.CHAPPBX COPVRICHT BY PClKRiOH PUO CO ' Jit. Mm Idrmefm mm 4 0MSB v zfsk 0 Kiar a- jmuwm w jsmca hm7-mmm'mr ii tt " inn nr n w im nu HE fly, projecting hia impertinent person ality Into tho nation al ointment, tins started a flno scurry ing for spoons, screens, nlr-slakcd lime, lassoes, and whatover othor weapons aro likely to prove effectual In his discouragement. There la no malice In tho uprising. It 1s simply the manifestation of a scien tific yearning to hnnd him his dues, full-mcasuro andk brimming over, for a past chockful, of all manner of crim inality and a deslro to chop short a future hopoless of reform. "His tricks and hia mannors," long regarded 'at tho worst as petty annoyances for the discipline of our soula, have In recent years assumed an aspect so menacing that wo aro more and more deter mined to do without tho chastening qualtles of his proaonco altogether. Dr. Daniel D. Jackson, formally de nouncing this enemy beforo a Joint convention of tho American Civic As sociation and the National Municipal Leaguo, put tho case In unequivocal terms: Regarded In tho light of ro cent knowledge, tho fly Is m$re dan gerous than the tiger or the cobra. Worso than that, hp Is, at least In our climate, much moro to bo feared than tho mosquito, and may easily be class ed the world over as tho most danger ous animal on earth." When Dr. Jackson thus arraigns tho fly the last word has been said. The details can; only bolster up the gener alizationprovided the details are true. Aro they true? They have at least one point In their favor which Is characteristic perhaps of no set of facts over predicated of anything out side of an exact science, and that 1b that they have nover been disputed. Thoro is n unanimity of sentiment surrounding tho onslaught on tho houso fly which ought either to receive our highest Indorsement or arouse our darkest suspicion, Just as the spirit is apt to lncllno ub. Tho house fly proper, Musca domestlca, of tho order of tho Dlptera, Is a graylsh'fly with a mouth formed for sucking up liquid substances. It has a proboscis something llko tho trunk of an elephant In miniature, and Its feet aro termin ated each by a pair of claws, between which aro more or less membranous arolla or plantulae fl . ' Ftqct ' which climb polished surfaces, and also a pulvll- lus or cushion. It does not bite, for that function 1a reserved for a stable fly which resembles It so closely as to deceive anybody but nn ontomol oglst. Neither does It die upon tho window pano surrounded by tho fungous offlorescenco so fa miliar to the disgusted housewife. That Is tho habit of tho cluster fly, which Is somewhat larger than tho house fly, with a dark-colorod, smooth abdomen, and a sluggish disposition. Several other species bear a superficial like ness to tho truo house fly and aro more or less mlstakon for It. All aro so Inconsiderate In num ber in comparison to tho common post, however, that they may safely bo disregarded In tho dis cussion. The great breeding place of the houso fly is horse manure. It will. It Is true, thrive to somo extent In other sorts of decaying animal and vege table matter, but Its partiality for the stable ref- ' use Is so great that the vast proportion of Its oft-' spring may bo considered as originating In that substance. The fly lays Its eggs upon tho manure, which 1b Its favorlto larval flood, and a generation may ho bred in from ten to fourteen days, according to tho climate. There may bo a dozen generations In a summer. An individual fly will Average 120 eggs, and when tho provalonco of horBo manure Is taken Into consideration. Its widespread appli cation to farm lands In tho way of a fertilizer, Its presence In piles In or near city stables, Its use upon lawns and suburban gardens, tho possi bilities in the propagation of tho fly will be read ily seen to bo past computation. It Is even calcu lated that a single 'fly, laying 120 eggs, will pro duce a progeny amounting to sextllllons In one season. This probably docs not take Into con sideration accidents which operate greatly to ro duco the supply. Some experiments have been made with a viow to calculating the number in which house-fly larvae occur In manure, but no general average can bo struck. Twelve hundred house flies to tho pound of manure Is the result of ono observation, Another showed 200 puparla in leas than one cublo Inch. Yet perhaps no larvae can bo found in tho greater part of manure piles. Because of his habits tho house fly Is a walk ing arsenal of bacilli. Tho old notion that he was valuable as a scavenger la untruo. Ho will prey on garbage and carry It away as part and , parcel of his tissue, but he does not kill tho germ ho absorbes. It has been proved that tho bacteria are not only taken Into the fly and pass through its body without any loss of their actlvo proper ties but also that In all probability they multi ply during their sojourn there. These germs are deposited upon foodstuffs, and eating utensils, pass into the human economy' In spite of ordinary care, and if they are of a malev olent type and the system which takos them In 1b not strong enough to resist their action, dis tress, disease and death are apt to follow In their wake. In addition, the lly also dlBsomlnntos germs by carrying them upon his body, tho cush ions of his feet and his wings, Through tho researches of W. M. Eaton and O. J, Mason It has boon found that "the numbers of bacteria on a single fly mny rango all tho way from 550 to 0,000,000." No general nvernge can bo struck. A few million moro or lesn will mako no difference In tho general result. Because of Us prevalence and its familiar asso ciation with man, Musca domestlca has exception- nl opportunities to distribute disenso-broedlng bac teria where thoy will do the most harm. A cer tain gonus of mosquito disseminates malaria, but the mosquito thrives only In localities especially favorable to his propagation. Thoro Is good rea- nnbiia. Li I ODQUl. U -OOt. t fcgQ. son to suppose thnt tho gorms of tho bubonic plaguo may bo transferred by fleas, and of typhus fever by the body louse, but the discouragement of the flea and the louse la by no means difficult. Only tho fly, bocauso wo treat him as u friend and brother, Is In a position to reward us at his will by the presentation of a packago of destruction that makes Pandora's box look llko a collection of assorted chocolates nnd bonbons, Ho will transmit In virulent form typhoid fever, Asiatic cholera, summer dysentery and, other Intestinal diseases, and even tuberculosis, nil by tho Inges tion of fly-specks on food. Therein lies 'almost all tho danger. It will also transmit, It is true, such diseases as small-pox, scarlet-fever, measles, chicken-pox, erysipelas, and even carbuncles, but practically only by Inoculation, thnt is, by depos iting tho germs on a sore surface or on mucous membrane. But it Is not from contact with horse manure or ordinary refuso that tho fly becomes so dnngor ouBNto tho health of man. By far tho greater peril 1 lies In tho fact that it will breed In human ex creta. Bocauso of this habit It carries tho living germs of typhoid, cholora and othor intestinal diseases to oxposed food supplies, and thousands of unfortunntes, partaking of these, aro laid low to suffer Incalculable anguish of .mind and body until natural resistance enables them to over come the poison or death Intervenes. Wbon the sum total of mlsory aud loss which must bo laid In this connection at tho door of tho houso fly Is taken Into account-, It will readllK be believed that no remedy, however drastic, to ro movo tho cause, can Justly bo regarded as super fluous. Dr. Q. N. Kobor, at tho governors' cohforonco at tho Whlto Houso iu 1908, presented figures show ing that tho decreuso In the vital assets of tho country through typhoid fever alono In a single year Is moro than $350,000,000. Tho houso fly, while not the solo carrier of tho typhoid germ, takes such an unenviable part In Its distribution that ho may rightfully bo charged with a very con siderable part of tho loss. Add to this the dread ful toll exactod hy Intestinal disorders, and tho tiny ngo'nh llko tho DJInn of tho flBhorman's Jnr. set free through man's Indiscretion, looms more nnd moro menacingly until his terrifying shadow fills and darkens tho heavens. Those are the popular charges against the fly. In principle they aro truo, nnd the violent enthus lasm which greets the proposal for his extermina tion must be viewed with nn approving eye, Tho cmoko and tho effervescence will inevitably pass, but the solid Impetus which distinguished the move ment will remain. At the same tlmo It is well to remombor that a clear, calm understanding of tho actual truth, shorn of decorntlve hyperbole, Is more essential to the success of tho crusade than nil tho unreasoning zeal which distinguishes the first rush upon the breastworks. How easily tho Inquirer may be led astray from tho scientific aspect of the affair Is readily lllus trnted. Sovoral years ago a writer In tho Boston Modlcal and Surgical Journal declared that cer tain experiments seemed to offer an explanation of tho sporadic cases of cholera occurring In New York city In 1892, In spite of tho most careful quarantine. Maddox and Slmmonds fed fl'cs with cholera spirilla and obtained cultures of tho bac terium from the Insects so fed. Wo havo Fecn beforo that bactorla suffer no diminution of their vlrulonco In passing through tho fly. In 1892 11 cases of cholora dovoloped In Now York, tho dis ease being first brought In by steamship. Tho patients lived In widely-separated parts of tho city and had no personal association with each other. Tho only striking fact common to all tho cases was that tho victims wore engaged In somo form of tho food trado. Tho bacillus, when examlnod, proved to bo Identical with that discovered on shipboard. Tho physicians Investigating tho method of Infection wore forced to cxcludo tho water supply. They also declared, after much ex porlmentatlon and thought, that It was Incredible that tho wind had carried tho germs ovor bo groat nn area In so short a time. Hy a careful procoss of elimination tho guilt was brought down to tho fly, which by excrotlng cholera bacilli upon food exposed In various localities, was thought to havo spread tho dreaded disease. Now mark tho scientific caution of the physi cians, who, though certain almost be yond tho shadow of a doubt of the truth of their conclusions, felt it only fair to say; "Many links In tho chain of absoluto proof are wanting." They condomned tho fly, but' tho verdict specifically declared It was largely on circumstantial evldenco. As a cold matter of fact, very little Is known as to how far flloa trnvol or how much they movo from place to place. Pro fessor Packard says their rate of apeed la 5.35 motors a second, which moans n mile In five or bIx mlnutoa, or ton miles an hour. Ho sayB furthor that they could scent food or,docaylng bodies for sovoral mlloo and might fly over 20 or 30 miles a day, especial ly If aided by a wind. All this, It la to bo observed, is carefully qualified. Llko tho othor Investigators, ho la by no means certain of hia ground, and in this manner aids In setting that example of scientific caution which muBt reap tho host result In tho long battlo only Just begun. Tho first and greatest Btep against the fly Is to do nway with tho exposod manure Dllo. nnd this Is feaslblo through Intolllgont co-oporntlon nnd pollco supervision. Somo troublo and oxponso will bo involved, It Is truo, but not to a prohibitory do greo. All manure In atablcs or barns should bo de posited at frequent Intervals either In a pit or vault or scro6ned lnclosuro. Each layor should bo sprinkled with chloride of llmo. TJiIb la tho cheap est and most offlcnclous discourager of tho fly, gives It almoat no chanco to breed, and thtnB Ha numbers almost to tho vanishing point. Other disinfectants may also, bo used, such as kerosono, or a solution of parls green or nrsonnto of lead. Tho bin or pit should bo kept covered carefully and not allowed to overflow. Tho mnnuro mny bo kept tightly rammed In barrols for purpoBoa of removal. Its transporta tion nnd deposit should also bo under tho strictest regulation. Always It should be homo In mind thnt an ounce of prevention In' destroying tho chlor breeding place of tho Insect Is far less oxponslvo than tho pound of euro when tho mlschlof hns boon dono. Tho next precaution, to bo taken la tho abolition, or at least tho strlctost regulation, of outhouses, In which flies aro disposed to breed. In tho great cltleB this caro lo lessoned by tho perfection . of Bowerago systems, but In tho suburbs and country tho danger Is always present Tho chlof peril hero lies in the absorption by. tho fly of typhoid and In testinal bacilli and their subsequent deposit upon food. In this way pronounced epidemics aro spread. The remedy consists In doing away altogether, with tho old-fashioned outhouso nnd tho substitution of eomo form of oarth closet, tho uso of llmo and decont precautions consistently, and persistently ob served even nt considerable expense and caro. Equally Important Is the scroonlng of food sup plies, whether displayed iu tho open market or In the private larder, tho disinfection and screening of refuso In hospitals, the regulation of abattoirs, garbage deposits and ashpits and all accumulations of fermenting and decaying matter. Laatly, tho closo screening of all dwellings, to tho absolute exclusion of our ancient and postlferoua friend, will greatly clrcumscrtbo his ability to work harm. - The fly Is nlso only a minor factor In the spread of tuborculosls. Tho bedbug, tho floa nnd othor household pests must also bo charged with somo measuro of guilt In conveying noxloiiB bacilli. Again, while It has beon proposed by Dr. Howard that tho houso fly bo known henceforward as tho "typhoid" fly, ho himself says thut, "strictly speak Inc. tho torm Is onen to' somo objection, ns convoy ing tho erroneous Idea that this fly Is solely re sponsible for tho spread of typhoid." "Perhaps" (continues the samo authority) "even under city conditions it (tno fly) must ussumo unru ranR next to water nnd milk." Even human bolngs have been found to bo personal carriers of tho dlseaao, infecting wholo farallloav with whom they aro brought In contact. Without desiring for nn Instant to mlnlmlzo tho pornlclous nctlvlty of the fly lri the great conspiracy of natural forces against tho continuation of tho human species, ono need only walk at random through tho streots ol NoW York, or any other city, large or small, to realize thnt it Is not alono by the extinction of ono particular species of Insect that man's health Is to bo conserved. East side or Wept sldo, In thoufands of' stores that cater to tho well-to-do or In- noisome shops whoro tho Impov erlshed many buy tholr supplies, tho same careless and unsanitary customs prevail In varying degrees. Tho dust that blows In clouds through every un Bprlnkled thoroughfare deposits germs upon tho food of rich and poor nllko. Tho wares exposed upon tho counter in tho elegant bakory nt which madam ordora her rolls nnd macaroonB aro as open to contamination as tho soggy ploa and sinkers In tho cheapest restaurant or bnko-ihop of tho Ghotto. Tho fruit lying unscreened upon tho tastily decorated stand of Upper Broadway Is na dangerous to health aa that punned about In tho handcart of tho Intinerant peddler. In exponslvo grocorloa, meat-shops, and confectlonory stores tho samo lax mothodn prevail. A scientific warfare against disease-bearing In sects Is not sufficient to enable us to win tho con te3t for health, happiness and increased length of days. Wo must flght equally ngalnst our own in dlffcrenco to cMc regulation, which scorns to bo tho abiding aln of il pcoplo who lovo Individual liberty J .V. 4. . I, 1 f it.- 1 1 i I . . BOXING AS SPORT FOR BOYS Entails Little Expense and Does Not Present Same Dangers at Many Popular Pastimes, ' "Why ia It." Billy Edwards Iho fa mous retired pugilist, was nskoil, "that Amorlcnn boys do bo ltttlo boxing?" "For tho simple reason that tho averago boy lacks norvo to stand up before an opponent and allow his face to bocomo a targot for tho other's pnddod fist. This, to tho best of my knowledge, la tho only explanation, for certainly boxing entails little expense, and does not present the samo dangers ns football and othor popular pas times," "la It possible for evory boy to be como a good boxer?" "Cortnlnly, Of courso aomo lads are better adapted to solf-dofonso than others. All the groat fighters have been endowed with a natural talont for It. During their boyhood they had a propensity for fighting and practiced continually with and without gloves, until tho ability to dodge and roturn a quick blow at a critical momont be came second naturo to them. Tho tall Long-Armed Boy Has Advantage. boy hns a groat advantago ovor Bhort boy, in tho length of roach. No ono point gives so much advantago, however, as quickness. Putting nil othor things equal, reach, hard-hitting, gamoness, clovorncss, and wind, tho ono that possossoa tho most activity and quickness la going to win. For fat boys boxing Is a capital flesh reducer." "Should boys with a weak heart boxT "Well, thoy may, if thoy go at It easy. Taken by Btnges, 4t will prob ably mond a'follow's hoart; practiced violently, It will surely ruin it. "Boxing, la my opinion, doos away HOW Wtf ATA CURIOUS JLOOKWG CLOCK v. SAID NAtf. Am TRIED TO SHAKT IT ' "JWOKOZTK. WHAT : THEKt JS WS1D f t if' I'M. MAVrt TO TSKEMKL ir." AX IT 5TIUKTK riVK rris ALivc- .BICYCLE INVENTED LONG AGO Frenchman First Hit Upon Idea of Two-Wheeled Vehicle In 1690 Known as Celerlfere. Mr. Frank II. Vhotolly tells "The Story of the Wheel" In the SL Nicho las. ' Mr. Vlzetelly says; In Jtho year 1690, M. do Slvrac, a Frenchman, hit upon tho notion of making a vehlclo upon two wheels, whilo Its rider sat astride a saddle on a Voodon boam to which two cross pieces wore firmly fixed. At the end of theso cross plecos there were whoela, kept in position by a lath-like connecting rod. Tho frame repre sented somo nnlmafy This primitive bicycle, known as the Celerlfere, was never fitted with hando bars, and was steered only by the feet of the ritler, which also had to keep his balance. In mounting, ho had to run alongside and vault Into the saddle. Onco the machine had boon set going by a push upon tho ground with the feet, the man upon It would draw them up, bending his knees, and without further effort could travel somo dlulanco. When the paco slackened the rider bad to repeat tho pushing, and' so continue his Journey. Much ground wob covered In this way on level roads, and especially downhill, In a short spaco of tlmo; but it was hard to go uphill. It has beon claimed by some that tho Colerlfero was the Invention of an other Frenchman named Blancnard, whom Louis XVI. once commanded to porform before him on this vehicle, la July, 1770. Boyond the fact that ouch a performance took place, on that and othor occasions in public, there la nothing to support this claim. In fact, It was not until Blanchard had crossed ovor to England that he excited Inter est; onco there, hpwover, he was favored by tho dukji of York, and be gan to attract attontlon. Under the fostorlng caro of royalty the Colerl fero, thon known as tho "Dandy horao," becamo popular among the English, who took to It with enthusi asm, but wore soon laughed out of tholr fancy b Jokers and cartoonist!. Punching the Bag. with tho knife and tho pistol; Were It nurtured moro, tho ugly stabbing and shooting affrays we road of dally would soon diminish." "How should a boy start out to be come proficient In sparring?" "Tho object at first is to got your body musclos in good condition, es pecially tho arm and shoulder muscles. The best apparatus for this la a punching bag, either ono that flies up ogalnBt a drum on tho celling, or Is fastened from colling to floor with nn elastic. Tho punching, guarding, and dodging, gives Just tho necessary ox orctr.o, It n punching bag Is not avail able let n boy got light dumb-bolla and Bhovo out his fists in all directions without qulto straightening out his arm. In addition to this, ho should, of course, bo Bparrlng froquontly with boys of all caliber, bo that ho loams to tell by his opponent's oye whoro ho 1b going to Htrlko, Tho lad who bus oven an Incomplete knowledge of boxing tactics possesses nn lncalcul able advnntago avei ono who knows nothing whatever of tho science, "An Important point for beginners to observe Is to tnko off tho gloves tho momont you begin to fool tired. Bo yond this point tho norvoa aro wor ried and tho boxer Is of no uso, for bo loses quickness." LIVELY GAME FOR EXERCISE Interesting Pastime Made Possible With Ball and RacquetTwo or Moro May Play. An Interesting ball gamo for outdoor play la possible with tho curious rac quot shown in this illustration. Two or more people may play, and the soft rubber ball used Is Just of a size to fit securely Into tho cup-llko roceptncle Ball and Racquet. on ono sldo of tho racquet. This cup Is of elastlo rubber, A sharp Jerk dlslodgos tho ball from it. Then tho player roversoa tho sldo of tho racquot nnd knocks tho ball In tho direction of ono of tho other players, who catchos It In tho rubber cup, if ho can, and projects It back, again. Japanese Maxim. Not ovory ono knows that tho group of three monkoys so often seen In photographs from Japan ropreuonts a favorlto maxim of tho Japanese, One monkoy IioIUb his hand ovor his ear that he may "hear no ovll," tho confer ono covers his mouth with his hand that ho may "speak no ovll," nnd tho third covers both eyes with his hands that ho mny "see no ovll." This group la found abovo ono of tho templed of NIkko nnd was carved by a famous loft-handed sculptor.