The campaign against flies is based on study of the life history of the fly. These studies have demonstrated that manure is one of the commonest places for fly breeding. A comprehensive book on this subject has been published by Edward H. Boss, entitled: "The Reduction of Domestic Flies." Some of the following statements are taken from this book.
The house fly breeds in all sorts of filth, but stable manure is the commonest lair for the insect. The female fly likes to lay her eggs here and in horse dung the fly maggot or grub lives for five days and then becomes the chrysalis or nymph. After about five days more the fully developed insect emerges to become a nuisance and do its deadly work. Fly reduction is a beneficial measure because it brings about a saving of life; reduces sickness, sorrow and misery; results in riddance of a pest and facilitates sanitary inspection. It has been estimated that one fly can produce in one month 506,250,000 offspring. Supposing only one half of these survive the larval stages, we have the enormous total of 250,000,000 increase per month.
The author of this book also states that "In the West End of London the stables and mews have become garages and there are only a few flies, where formerly thousands pestered, . . ." The disappearance is due, in part at least, to the removal of the horse manure and with it the favorite breeding places for flies. The campaign against flies, therefore, consists largely in prompt disposition of horse manure. That the most efficient method of disposition is the removal of the horse is obvious and with the advent of horseless vehicles the horse becomes superfluous. Considerable success has already crowned efforts in caring for the excrements of horses and the banishing of horses from our streets will facilitate this work. With the consequent reduction of flies we shall rid ourselves of a disgusting pest and aid in the preservation of life, health and happiness.
Evidence of the role played by flies in carrying infection is not wanting. In the Spanish-American war much of the typhoid fever was ascribed to the presence of flies. They were so common that, when cooked food had cooled sufficiently, it was covered with flies. When eating the men had to keep the flies away with one hand. Fecal matter in the pits was covered with lime and the white specks from the feet of flies could be traced on food. Virulent tubercle bacilli, the germs of typhoid fever, of bubonic plague, of anthrax and of Asiatic cholera have been found on the feet or in the intestinal canal of flies. Infection of
