FLY FEVERS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 68, 13 November 1912, Page 2

FLY FEVERS.

“AN ALARMING LECTURE.”

What was aptly termed by one who appreciated it “an alarming lecture” was delivered by Dr. Willis before the Health Society recently. Dr Willis, after deploring the ignorance, even among aldermen, of the disease-carry-ing, death-dealing house-fly, pointed out that the war against it should commence at the beginning of summer, because one fly became 150,000,000 before the season was over! Each fly carried a hundred thousand disease germs at one time. When feeding, the fly first of all surrounded the morsel with disease-infected fluid, sucked up a portion of it, and left the human being to swallow the rest. Typhoid, infantile diarrhoea, tapeworm and hydatids were some of the diseases spread by the fly. The greatest number of deaths among infants was caused by summer diarrhoea, and he warned mothers against allowing flies to touch their infants. The fly cijuld not live without moisture, and, therefore, made for the infant’s mouth. The doctor also instanced the diseases caused by fly-dirt entering the stomach. Many people said, “Our food is all covered,” but forgot about the plates. The prevalence of fly-dirt was emphasised. A chart was produced, showing from Dr. Willis’s own observations that the number of flies that were caught at a certain place during 1910-1911 corresponded exactly with the rise and fall of typhoid fever notifications. The only difference was that the fever cases fell a fortnight aftei the number, of flies fell. Dr Willis concluded with . recommending the buzz-fly trap, fitted with insectibanc. ' y Dr. Guy Griffiths, who presided, declared that typhoid should be called fly-fever, and the house-fly should be called the typhoid-fly. In answer to questions, Dr Willis said that he did not believe in the theory that we “rather bear the ilk we have than fly to others that we know not of,” if by that was meant that, in doing away with the fly we might bo visited with other evils. “I, am perfectly willing to chance it,” he added; “we can do our own scavenging!”